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Register a new userThe ALMA Spectroscopic Survey in the HUDF: CO Excitation and Atomic Carbon in Star-Forming Galaxies at $z=1-3$
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Leindert A. Boogaard
Publication date
2020
fields
Physics
and research's language is
English
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We investigate the CO excitation and interstellar medium (ISM) conditions in a cold gas mass-selected sample of 22 star-forming galaxies at $z=0.46-3.60$, observed as part of the ALMA Spectroscopic Survey in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field (ASPECS). Combined with VLA follow-up observations, we detect a total of 34 CO $J rightarrow J-1$ transitions with $J=1$ up to $8$ (and an additional 21 upper limits, up to $J=10$) and six [C I] ${^3P}_1 rightarrow {^3P}_0$ and ${^3P}_2 rightarrow {^3P}_1$ transitions (and 12 upper limits). The CO(2-1) and CO(3-2)-selected galaxies, at $z=1.2$ and $2.5$, respectively, exhibit a range in excitation in their mid-$J=4,5$ and high-$J=7,8$ lines, on average lower than ($L_{rm IR}$-brighter) BzK-color- and submillimeter-selected galaxies at similar redshifts. The former implies that a warm ISM component is not necessarily prevalent in gas mass-selected galaxies at $z=1.2$. We use stacking and Large Velocity Gradient models to measure and predict the average CO ladders at $z<2$ and $zgeq2$, finding $r_{21}=0.75 pm 0.11$ and $r_{31}=0.77 pm 0.14$, respectively. From the models, we infer that the galaxies at $zgeq2$ have intrinsically higher excitation than those at $z<2$. This fits a picture in which the global excitation is driven by an increase in the star formation rate surface density of galaxies with redshift. We derive a neutral atomic carbon abundance of $(1.9 pm 0.4) times 10^{-5}$, comparable to the Milky Way and main-sequence galaxies at similar redshifts, and fairly high densities ($geq 10^4$ cm$^{-3}$), consistent with the low-$J$ CO excitation. Our results imply a decrease in the cosmic molecular gas mass density at $zgeq2$ compared to previous ASPECS measurements.
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We use the results from the ALMA large program ASPECS, the spectroscopic survey in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field (HUDF), to constrain CO luminosity functions of galaxies and the resulting redshift evolution of $rho$(H$_2$). The broad frequency range covered enables us to identify CO emission lines of different rotational transitions in the HUDF at $z>1$. We find strong evidence that the CO luminosity function evolves with redshift, with the knee of the CO luminosity function decreasing in luminosity by an order of magnitude from $sim$2 to the local universe. Based on Schechter fits, we estimate that our observations recover the majority (up to $sim$90%, depending on the assumptions on the faint end) of the total cosmic CO luminosity at $z$=1.0-3.1. After correcting for CO excitation, and adopting a Galactic CO-to-H$_2$ conversion factor, we constrain the evolution of the cosmic molecular gas density $rho$(H$_2$): this cosmic gas density peaks at $zsim1.5$ and drops by factor of $6.5_{-1.4}^{+1.8}$ to the value measured locally. The observed evolution in $rho$(H$_2$) therefore closely matches the evolution of the cosmic star formation rate density $rho_{rm SFR}$. We verify the robustness of our result with respect to assumptions on source inclusion and/or CO excitation. As the cosmic star formation history can be expressed as the product of the star formation efficiency and the cosmic density of molecular gas, the similar evolution of $rho$(H$_2$) and $rho_{rm SFR}$ leaves only little room for a significant evolution of the average star formation efficiency in galaxies since $zsim 3$ (85% of cosmic history).
The ALMA Spectroscopic Survey in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field (ASPECS) Band 6 scan (212-272 GHz) covers potential [CII] emission in galaxies at $6leq z leq8$ throughout a 2.9 arcmin$^2$ area. By selecting on known Lyman-$alpha$ emitters (LAEs) and photometric dropout galaxies in the field, we perform targeted searches down to a 5$sigma$ [CII] luminosity depth $L_{mathrm{[CII]}}sim2.0times10^8$ L$_{odot}$, corresponding roughly to star formation rates (SFRs) of $10$-$20$ M$_{odot}$ yr$^{-1}$ when applying a locally calibrated conversion for star-forming galaxies, yielding zero detections. While the majority of galaxies in this sample are characterized by lower SFRs, the resulting upper limits on [CII] luminosity in these sources are consistent with the current literature sample of targeted ALMA observations of $z=6$-$7$ LAEs and Lyman-break galaxies (LBGs), as well as the locally calibrated relations between $L_{mathrm{[CII]}}$ and SFR -- with the exception of a single [CII]-deficient, UV luminous LBG. We also perform a blind search for [CII]-bright galaxies that may have been missed by optical selections, resulting in an upper limit on the cumulative number density of [CII] sources with $L_{mathrm{[CII]}}>2.0times10^8$ L$_{odot}$ ($5sigma $) to be less than $1.8times10^{-4}$ Mpc$^{-3}$ (90% confidence level). At this luminosity depth and volume coverage, we present an observed evolution of the [CII] luminosity function from $z=6$-$8$ to $zsim0$ by comparing the ASPECS measurement to literature results at lower redshift.
We present the results of a new study of dust attenuation at redshifts $3 < z < 4$ based on a sample of $236$ star-forming galaxies from the VANDELS spectroscopic survey. Motivated by results from the First Billion Years (FiBY) simulation project, we argue that the intrinsic spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of star-forming galaxies at these redshifts have a self-similar shape across the mass range $8.2 leq$ log$(M_{star}/M_{odot}) leq 10.6$ probed by our sample. Using FiBY data, we construct a set of intrinsic SED templates which incorporate both detailed star formation and chemical abundance histories, and a variety of stellar population synthesis (SPS) model assumptions. With this set of intrinsic SEDs, we present a novel approach for directly recovering the shape and normalization of the dust attenuation curve. We find, across all of the intrinsic templates considered, that the average attenuation curve for star-forming galaxies at $zsimeq3.5$ is similar in shape to the commonly-adopted Calzetti starburst law, with an average total-to-selective attenuation ratio of $R_{V}=4.18pm0.29$. We show that the optical attenuation ($A_V$) versus stellar mass ($M_{star}$) relation predicted using our method is consistent with recent ALMA observations of galaxies at $2<z<3$ in the emph{Hubble} emph{Ultra} emph{Deep} emph{Field} (HUDF), as well as empirical $A_V - M_{star}$ relations predicted by a Calzetti-like law. Our results, combined with other literature data, suggest that the $A_V - M_{star}$ relation does not evolve over the redshift range $0<z<5$, at least for galaxies with log$(M_{star}/M_{odot}) gtrsim 9.5$. Finally, we present tentative evidence which suggests that the attenuation curve may become steeper at log$(M_{star}/M_{odot}) lesssim 9.0$.
Using the deepest 1.2 mm continuum map to date in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field obtained as part of the ALMA Spectroscopic Survey (ASPECS) large program, we measure the cosmic density of dust and implied gas (H$_{2}+$H I) mass in galaxies as a function of look-back time. We do so by stacking the contribution from all $H$-band selected galaxies above a given stellar mass in distinct redshift bins, $rho_{rm dust}(M_ast>M,z)$ and $rho_{rm gas}(M_ast>M,z)$. At all redshifts, $rho_{rm dust}(M_ast>M,z)$ and $rho_{rm gas}(M_ast>M,z)$ grow rapidly as $M$ decreases down to $10^{10},M_odot$, but this growth slows down towards lower stellar masses. This flattening implies that at our stellar mass-completeness limits ($10^8,M_odot$ and $10^{8.9},M_odot$ at $zsim0.4$ and $zsim3$), both quantities converge towards the total cosmic dust and gas mass densities in galaxies. The cosmic dust and gas mass densities increase at early cosmic time, peak around $zsim2$, and decrease by a factor $sim4$ and 7, compared to the density of dust and molecular gas in the local universe, respectively. The contribution of quiescent galaxies -- i.e., with little on-going star-formation -- to the cosmic dust and gas mass densities is minor ($lesssim10%$). The redshift evolution of the cosmic gas mass density resembles that of the star-formation rate density, as previously found by CO-based measurements. This confirms that galaxies have relatively constant star-formation efficiencies (within a factor $sim2$) across cosmic time. Our results also imply that by $zsim0$, a large fraction ($sim90%$) of dust formed in galaxies across cosmic time has been destroyed or ejected to the intergalactic medium.
While the kinematics of galaxies up to z~3 have been characterized in detail, only a handful of galaxies at high redshift (z>4) have been examined in such a way. The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) Large Program to INvestigate [CII] at Early times (ALPINE) survey observed a statistically significant sample of 118 star-forming main sequence galaxies at z=4.4-5.9 in [CII]158um emission, increasing the number of such observations by nearly 10x. A preliminary qualitative classification of these sources revealed a diversity of kinematic types (i.e., rotators, mergers, and dispersion-dominated systems). In this work, we supplement the initial classification by applying quantitative analyses to the ALPINE data: a tilted ring model (TRM) fitting code (3DBarolo), a morphological classification (Gini-M20), and a set of disk identification criteria. Of the 75 [CII]-detected ALPINE galaxies, 29 are detected at sufficient significance and spatial resolution to allow for TRM fitting and the derivation of morphological and kinematic parameters. These 29 sources constitute a high-mass subset of the ALPINE sample (M_*>10^9.5Msol). We robustly classify 14 of these sources (six rotators, five mergers, and three dispersion-dominated systems); the remaining sources showing complex behaviour. By exploring the G-M20 of z>4 rest-frame FIR and [CII] data for the first time, we find that our 1~6kpc resolution data alone are insufficient to separate galaxy types. We compare the rotation curves and dynamical mass profiles of the six ALPINE rotators to the two previously detected z~4-6 unlensed main sequence rotators, finding high rotational velocities (~50-250km/s) and a diversity of rotation curve shapes.
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