First detection of CO isotopologues in a high-redshift main-sequence galaxy: evidence of a top-heavy stellar initial mass function
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2024
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| _version_ | 1866929337937166336 |
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| author | Guo, Ziyi Zhang, Zhi-Yu Yan, Zhiqiang Gjergo, Eda Man, Allison Ivison, R. J. Fu, Xiaoting Shi, Yong |
| author_facet | Guo, Ziyi Zhang, Zhi-Yu Yan, Zhiqiang Gjergo, Eda Man, Allison Ivison, R. J. Fu, Xiaoting Shi, Yong |
| contents | Recent observations and theories have presented a strong challenge to the universality of the stellar initial mass function (IMF) in extreme environments. A notable example has been found for starburst conditions, where evidence favours a top-heavy IMF, i.e. there is a bias toward massive stars compared to the IMF that is responsible for the stellar mass function and elemental abundances observed in the Milky Way. Local starburst galaxies have star-formation rates similar to those in high-redshift main-sequence galaxies, which appear to dominate the stellar mass budget at early epochs. However, the IMF of high-redshift main-sequence galaxies is yet to be probed. Since $^{13}$CO and C$^{18}$O isotopologues are sensitive to the IMF, we have observed these lines towards four strongly-lensed high-redshift main-sequence galaxies using the Atacama Large Millimeter/sub-millimeter Array. Of our four targets, SDSS J0901+1814, at $z \approx 2.26$, is seen clearly in $^{13}$CO and C$^{18}$O, the first detection of CO isotopologues in the high-redshift main-sequence galaxy population. The observed $^{13}$C/$^{18}$O ratio, $2.4 \pm 0.8$, is significantly lower than that of local main-sequence galaxies. We estimate the isotope ratio, oxygen abundance and stellar mass using a series of chemical evolution models with varying star-formation histories and IMFs. All models favour an IMF that is more top-heavy than that of the Milky Way. Thus, as with starburst galaxies, main-sequence galaxies in the high-redshift Universe have a greater fraction of massive stars than a Milky-Way IMF would imply. |
| format | Preprint |
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arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2405_05317 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | First detection of CO isotopologues in a high-redshift main-sequence galaxy: evidence of a top-heavy stellar initial mass function Guo, Ziyi Zhang, Zhi-Yu Yan, Zhiqiang Gjergo, Eda Man, Allison Ivison, R. J. Fu, Xiaoting Shi, Yong Astrophysics of Galaxies Recent observations and theories have presented a strong challenge to the universality of the stellar initial mass function (IMF) in extreme environments. A notable example has been found for starburst conditions, where evidence favours a top-heavy IMF, i.e. there is a bias toward massive stars compared to the IMF that is responsible for the stellar mass function and elemental abundances observed in the Milky Way. Local starburst galaxies have star-formation rates similar to those in high-redshift main-sequence galaxies, which appear to dominate the stellar mass budget at early epochs. However, the IMF of high-redshift main-sequence galaxies is yet to be probed. Since $^{13}$CO and C$^{18}$O isotopologues are sensitive to the IMF, we have observed these lines towards four strongly-lensed high-redshift main-sequence galaxies using the Atacama Large Millimeter/sub-millimeter Array. Of our four targets, SDSS J0901+1814, at $z \approx 2.26$, is seen clearly in $^{13}$CO and C$^{18}$O, the first detection of CO isotopologues in the high-redshift main-sequence galaxy population. The observed $^{13}$C/$^{18}$O ratio, $2.4 \pm 0.8$, is significantly lower than that of local main-sequence galaxies. We estimate the isotope ratio, oxygen abundance and stellar mass using a series of chemical evolution models with varying star-formation histories and IMFs. All models favour an IMF that is more top-heavy than that of the Milky Way. Thus, as with starburst galaxies, main-sequence galaxies in the high-redshift Universe have a greater fraction of massive stars than a Milky-Way IMF would imply. |
| title | First detection of CO isotopologues in a high-redshift main-sequence galaxy: evidence of a top-heavy stellar initial mass function |
| topic | Astrophysics of Galaxies |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.05317 |