Molecular gas mass measurements of an active, starburst galaxy at $z\approx2.6$ using ALMA observations of the [CI], CO and dust emission

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Main Authors: Huang, Hao-Tse, Man, Allison W. S., Lelli, Federico, De Breuck, Carlos, Ghodsi, Laya, Zhang, Zhi-Yu, Lin, Lingrui, Zhou, Jing, Bisbas, Thomas G., Nesvadba, Nicole P. H.
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Published: 2024
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author Huang, Hao-Tse
Man, Allison W. S.
Lelli, Federico
De Breuck, Carlos
Ghodsi, Laya
Zhang, Zhi-Yu
Lin, Lingrui
Zhou, Jing
Bisbas, Thomas G.
Nesvadba, Nicole P. H.
author_facet Huang, Hao-Tse
Man, Allison W. S.
Lelli, Federico
De Breuck, Carlos
Ghodsi, Laya
Zhang, Zhi-Yu
Lin, Lingrui
Zhou, Jing
Bisbas, Thomas G.
Nesvadba, Nicole P. H.
contents We present new ALMA observations of a starburst galaxy at cosmic noon hosting a radio-loud active galactic nucleus: PKS 0529-549 at $z=2.57$. To investigate the conditions of its cold interstellar medium, we use ALMA observations which spatially resolve the [CI] fine-structure lines, [CI] (2-1) and [CI] (1-0), CO rotational lines, CO (7-6) and CO (4-3), and the rest-frame continuum emission at 461 and 809 GHz. The four emission lines display different morphologies, suggesting spatial variation in the gas excitation conditions. The radio jets have just broken out of the molecular gas but not through the more extended ionized gas halo. The [CI] (2-1) emission is more extended ($\approx8\,{\rm kpc}\times5\,{\rm kpc}$) than detected in previous shallower ALMA observations. The [CI] luminosity ratio implies an excitation temperature of $44\pm16$ K, similar to the dust temperature. Using the [CI] lines, CO (4-3), and 227 GHz dust continuum, we infer the mass of molecular gas $M_{\mathrm{mol}}$ using three independent approaches and typical assumptions in the literature. All approaches point to a massive molecular gas reservoir of about $10^{11}$ $M_{\odot}$, but the exact values differ by up to a factor of 4. Deep observations are critical in correctly characterizing the distribution of cold gas in high-redshift galaxies, and highlight the need to improve systematic uncertainties in inferring accurate molecular gas masses.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2411_04290
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Molecular gas mass measurements of an active, starburst galaxy at $z\approx2.6$ using ALMA observations of the [CI], CO and dust emission
Huang, Hao-Tse
Man, Allison W. S.
Lelli, Federico
De Breuck, Carlos
Ghodsi, Laya
Zhang, Zhi-Yu
Lin, Lingrui
Zhou, Jing
Bisbas, Thomas G.
Nesvadba, Nicole P. H.
Astrophysics of Galaxies
We present new ALMA observations of a starburst galaxy at cosmic noon hosting a radio-loud active galactic nucleus: PKS 0529-549 at $z=2.57$. To investigate the conditions of its cold interstellar medium, we use ALMA observations which spatially resolve the [CI] fine-structure lines, [CI] (2-1) and [CI] (1-0), CO rotational lines, CO (7-6) and CO (4-3), and the rest-frame continuum emission at 461 and 809 GHz. The four emission lines display different morphologies, suggesting spatial variation in the gas excitation conditions. The radio jets have just broken out of the molecular gas but not through the more extended ionized gas halo. The [CI] (2-1) emission is more extended ($\approx8\,{\rm kpc}\times5\,{\rm kpc}$) than detected in previous shallower ALMA observations. The [CI] luminosity ratio implies an excitation temperature of $44\pm16$ K, similar to the dust temperature. Using the [CI] lines, CO (4-3), and 227 GHz dust continuum, we infer the mass of molecular gas $M_{\mathrm{mol}}$ using three independent approaches and typical assumptions in the literature. All approaches point to a massive molecular gas reservoir of about $10^{11}$ $M_{\odot}$, but the exact values differ by up to a factor of 4. Deep observations are critical in correctly characterizing the distribution of cold gas in high-redshift galaxies, and highlight the need to improve systematic uncertainties in inferring accurate molecular gas masses.
title Molecular gas mass measurements of an active, starburst galaxy at $z\approx2.6$ using ALMA observations of the [CI], CO and dust emission
topic Astrophysics of Galaxies
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2411.04290