IMAGING ATOMIC AND HIGHLY EXCITED MOLECULAR GAS IN a z = 6.42 QUASAR HOST GALAXY: COPIOUS FUEL FOR AN EDDINGTON-LIMITED STARBURST AT THE END OF COSMIC REIONIZATION
- Astronomy Department, California Institute of Technology, MC 249-17, 1200 East California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States)
- Max-Planck-Institut fuer Astronomie, Koenigstuhl 17, Heidelberg, D-69117 (Germany)
- Argelander Institut fuer Astronomie, Universitaet Bonn, Auf dem Huegel 71, Bonn, D-53121 (Germany)
- National Radio Astronomy Observatory, P.O. Box O, Socorro, NM 87801 (United States)
- Institut de Radio Astronomie Millimetrique, 300 Rue de la Piscine, Domaine Universitaire, 38406 Saint Martin d'Heres (France)
We have imaged CO(J = 7 -> 6) and C I({sup 3} P {sub 2} -> {sup 3} P {sub 1}) emission in the host galaxy of the z = 6.42 quasar SDSS J114816.64+525150.3 (hereafter J1148+5251) through observations with the Plateau de Bure Interferometer. The region showing CO(J = 7 -> 6) emission is spatially resolved, and its size of 5 kpc is in good agreement with earlier CO(J = 3 -> 2) observations. In combination with a revised model of the collisional line excitation in this source, this indicates that the highly excited molecular gas traced by the CO J = 7 -> 6 line is subthermally excited (showing only 58% +- 8% of the CO J = 3 -> 2 luminosity), but not more centrally concentrated. We also detect C I({sup 3} P {sub 2} -> {sup 3} P {sub 1}) emission in the host galaxy of J1148+5251, but the line is too faint to enable a reliable size measurement. From the C I({sup 3} P {sub 2} -> {sup 3} P {sub 1}) line flux, we derive a total atomic carbon mass of M{sub CI} = 1.1 x10{sup 7} M {sub sun}, which corresponds to approx5 x 10{sup -4} times the total molecular gas mass. We also searched for H{sub 2}O(J{sub K{sub aK{sub c}}} = 2{sub 12} -> 1{sub 01}) emission, and obtained a sensitive line luminosity limit of L{sup '}{sub H{sub 2O}}< 4.4 x 10{sup 9} K km s{sup -1} pc{sup 2}, i.e., <15% of the CO(J = 3 -> 2) luminosity. The warm, highly excited molecular gas, atomic gas and dust in this quasar host at the end of cosmic reionization maintain an intense starburst that reaches surface densities as high as predicted by (dust opacity) Eddington limited star formation over kiloparsec scales.
- OSTI ID:
- 21371899
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 703, Issue 2; Other Information: DOI: 10.1088/0004-637X/703/2/1338; ISSN 0004-637X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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