THE KILOPARSEC-SCALE STAR FORMATION LAW AT REDSHIFT 4: WIDESPREAD, HIGHLY EFFICIENT STAR FORMATION IN THE DUST-OBSCURED STARBURST GALAXY GN20

Hodge, J. A.; Riechers, D.; Decarli, R.; Walter, F.; Carilli, C. L.; Daddi, E.

doi:10.1088/2041-8205/798/1/L18

Title: THE KILOPARSEC-SCALE STAR FORMATION LAW AT REDSHIFT 4: WIDESPREAD, HIGHLY EFFICIENT STAR FORMATION IN THE DUST-OBSCURED STARBURST GALAXY GN20

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Abstract

We present high-resolution observations of the 880 μm (rest-frame FIR) continuum emission in the z = 4.05 submillimeter galaxy GN20 from the IRAM Plateau de Bure Interferometer (PdBI). These data resolve the obscured star formation (SF) in this unlensed galaxy on scales of 0.''3 × 0.''2 (∼2.1 × 1.3 kpc). The observations reveal a bright (16 ± 1 mJy) dusty starburst centered on the cold molecular gas reservoir and showing a bar-like extension along the major axis. The striking anti-correlation with the Hubble Space Telescope/Wide Field Camera 3 imaging suggests that the copious dust surrounding the starburst heavily obscures the rest-frame UV/optical emission. A comparison with 1.2 mm PdBI continuum data reveals no evidence for variations in the dust properties across the source within the uncertainties, consistent with extended SF, and the peak star formation rate surface density (119 ± 8 M {sub ☉} yr{sup –1} kpc{sup –2}) implies that the SF in GN20 remains sub-Eddington on scales down to 3 kpc{sup 2}. We find that the SF efficiency (SFE) is highest in the central regions of GN20, leading to a resolved SF law with a power-law slope of Σ{sub SFR} ∼ Σ{sub H{sub 2}{sup 2.1±1.0}}, and that GN20 lies above the sequence of normal star-forming disks, implying that the dispersion in the SFmore »« less

Authors:

Hodge, J. A. ^[1]; Riechers, D. ^[2]; Decarli, R.; Walter, F. ^[3]; Carilli, C. L. ^[4]; Daddi, E. ^[5]

National Radio Astronomy Observatory, 520 Edgemont Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903 (United States)
Department of Astronomy, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, NY 14853 (United States)
Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie, Königstuhl 17, D-69117 Heidelberg (Germany)
National Radio Astronomy Observatory, P.O. Box 0, Socorro, NM 87801-0387 (United States)
CEA, Laboratoire AIM-CNRS-Université Paris Diderot, Irfu/SAp, Orme des Merisiers, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France)

Publication Date:: Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2015

OSTI Identifier:: 22364742

Resource Type:: Journal Article

Journal Name:: Astrophysical Journal Letters

Additional Journal Information:: Journal Volume: 798; Journal Issue: 1; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Journal ID: ISSN 2041-8205

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: 79 ASTROPHYSICS, COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY; CAMERAS; COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS; CONVERSION; CORRELATIONS; DENSITY; EFFICIENCY; FAR INFRARED RADIATION; GALAXIES; MORPHOLOGY; PHOTON EMISSION; RED SHIFT; RESOLUTION; SPACE; STAR EVOLUTION; STARS; TELESCOPES

Citation Formats


                    Hodge, J. A., Riechers, D., Decarli, R., Walter, F., Carilli, C. L., Daddi, E., and Dannerbauer, H., E-mail: jhodge@nrao.edu. THE KILOPARSEC-SCALE STAR FORMATION LAW AT REDSHIFT 4: WIDESPREAD, HIGHLY EFFICIENT STAR FORMATION IN THE DUST-OBSCURED STARBURST GALAXY GN20.  United States: N. p., 2015. 
        Web.  doi:10.1088/2041-8205/798/1/L18.

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                    Hodge, J. A., Riechers, D., Decarli, R., Walter, F., Carilli, C. L., Daddi, E., & Dannerbauer, H., E-mail: jhodge@nrao.edu. THE KILOPARSEC-SCALE STAR FORMATION LAW AT REDSHIFT 4: WIDESPREAD, HIGHLY EFFICIENT STAR FORMATION IN THE DUST-OBSCURED STARBURST GALAXY GN20.  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/798/1/L18

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                    Hodge, J. A., Riechers, D., Decarli, R., Walter, F., Carilli, C. L., Daddi, E., and Dannerbauer, H., E-mail: jhodge@nrao.edu. 2015.  
        "THE KILOPARSEC-SCALE STAR FORMATION LAW AT REDSHIFT 4: WIDESPREAD, HIGHLY EFFICIENT STAR FORMATION IN THE DUST-OBSCURED STARBURST GALAXY GN20".  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/798/1/L18.

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@article{osti_22364742,

  title        = {THE KILOPARSEC-SCALE STAR FORMATION LAW AT REDSHIFT 4: WIDESPREAD, HIGHLY EFFICIENT STAR FORMATION IN THE DUST-OBSCURED STARBURST GALAXY GN20},

  author       = {Hodge, J. A. and Riechers, D. and Decarli, R. and Walter, F. and Carilli, C. L. and Daddi, E. and Dannerbauer, H., E-mail: jhodge@nrao.edu},

  abstractNote = {We present high-resolution observations of the 880 μm (rest-frame FIR) continuum emission in the z = 4.05 submillimeter galaxy GN20 from the IRAM Plateau de Bure Interferometer (PdBI). These data resolve the obscured star formation (SF) in this unlensed galaxy on scales of 0.''3 × 0.''2 (∼2.1 × 1.3 kpc). The observations reveal a bright (16 ± 1 mJy) dusty starburst centered on the cold molecular gas reservoir and showing a bar-like extension along the major axis. The striking anti-correlation with the Hubble Space Telescope/Wide Field Camera 3 imaging suggests that the copious dust surrounding the starburst heavily obscures the rest-frame UV/optical emission. A comparison with 1.2 mm PdBI continuum data reveals no evidence for variations in the dust properties across the source within the uncertainties, consistent with extended SF, and the peak star formation rate surface density (119 ± 8 M {sub ☉} yr{sup –1} kpc{sup –2}) implies that the SF in GN20 remains sub-Eddington on scales down to 3 kpc{sup 2}. We find that the SF efficiency (SFE) is highest in the central regions of GN20, leading to a resolved SF law with a power-law slope of Σ{sub SFR} ∼ Σ{sub H{sub 2}{sup 2.1±1.0}}, and that GN20 lies above the sequence of normal star-forming disks, implying that the dispersion in the SF law is not due solely to morphology or choice of conversion factor. These data extend previous evidence for a fixed SFE per free-fall time to include the star-forming medium on ∼kiloparsec scales in a galaxy 12 Gyr ago.},

  doi          = {10.1088/2041-8205/798/1/L18},

  url          = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/22364742},
  journal      = {Astrophysical Journal Letters},

  issn         = {2041-8205},

  number       = 1,

  volume       = 798,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2015},

  month        = {Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2015}

}

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