DETECTION OF THE 158 {mu}m [C II] TRANSITION AT z = 1.3: EVIDENCE FOR A GALAXY-WIDE STARBURST

Journal Article · Sat May 01 04:00:00 EDT 2010 · Astrophysical Journal Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/714/1/L162· OSTI ID:21448920

Hailey-Dunsheath, S; Nikola, T; Stacey, G J; Oberst, T E; Parshley, S C ^[1]; Benford, D J; Staguhn, J G ^[2]

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1. Department of Astronomy, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 (United States)
2. Observational Cosmology Laboratory (Code 665), NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States)

We report the detection of 158 {mu}m [C II] fine-structure line emission from MIPS J142824.0+352619, a hyperluminous (L {sub IR} {approx} 10{sup 13} L {sub sun}) starburst galaxy at z = 1.3. The line is bright, corresponding to a fraction L {sub [CII]}/L {sub FIR} {approx} 2 x 10{sup -3} of the far-IR (FIR) continuum. The [C II], CO, and FIR continuum emission may be modeled as arising from photodissociation regions (PDRs) that have a characteristic gas density of n {approx} 10{sup 4.2} cm{sup -3}, and that are illuminated by a far-UV radiation field {approx}10{sup 3.2} times more intense than the local interstellar radiation field. The mass in these PDRs accounts for approximately half of the molecular gas mass in this galaxy. The L {sub [CII]}/L {sub FIR} ratio is higher than observed in local ultraluminous infrared galaxies or in the few high-redshift QSOs detected in [C II], but the L {sub [CII]}/L {sub FIR} and L {sub CO}/L {sub FIR} ratios are similar to the values seen in nearby starburst galaxies. This suggests that MIPS J142824.0+352619 is a scaled-up version of a starburst nucleus, with the burst extended over several kiloparsecs.

• OSTI ID: 21448920
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal Letters, Journal Name: Astrophysical Journal Letters Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 714; ISSN 2041-8205
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
DECOMPOSITION
DISSOCIATION
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
GALAXIES
PHOTOCHEMICAL REACTIONS
PHOTOLYSIS
RADIATIONS
RED SHIFT
ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION