CaltechAUTHORS
Published July 10, 2008 | Version Published
Journal Article Open

Spectroscopic confirmation of an extreme starburst at redshift 4.547

Creators

  • 1. ROR icon California Institute of Technology
  • 2. ROR icon National Radio Astronomy Observatory
  • 3. ROR icon Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
  • 4. ROR icon Astrophysique, Instrumentation et Modélisation
  • 5. ROR icon Max Planck Institute for Astronomy
  • 6. ROR icon University of Massachusetts Amherst
  • 7. ROR icon University of Hawaii at Manoa
  • 8. ROR icon Yale University
  • 9. ROR icon Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris
  • 10. ROR icon Sorbonne University
  • 11. ROR icon University of California, Riverside
  • 12. ROR icon Ehime University
  • 13. ROR icon University of Arizona

Abstract

We report the spectroscopic confirmation of a submillimeter galaxy (SMG) at z = 4.547 with an estimated LIR = (0.5–2.0) x 10¹³ L☉. The spectra, mid-IR, and X-ray properties indicate the bolometric luminosity is dominated by star formation at a rate of >1000 M☉, yr⁻¹. Multiple, spatially separated components are visible in the Lyα line with an observed velocity difference of up to 380 km s⁻¹ and the object morphology indicates a merger. The best-fit spectral energy distribution and spectral line indicators suggest the object is 2–8 Myr old and contains >10⁻¹⁰ M☉ of stellar mass. This object is a likely progenitor for the massive early-type systems seen at z ~ 2.

Additional Information

© 2008 American Astronomical Society. Print publication: Issue 2 (2008 July 10); received 2008 April 4; accepted for publication 2008 June 4; published 2008 June 27. Support for this work was provided by the Spitzer Science Center which is operated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), California Institute of Technology, under NASA contract 1407, NASA through contract 1278386 issued by the JPL, and NASA grant HST-GO-09822. C. C. thanks the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft and the Humboldt-Stiftung for support through the Max-Planck-Forschungspreis.

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Additional details

Identifiers

Eprint ID
13813
Resolver ID
CaltechAUTHORS:CAPapjl08

Funding

NASA
1407
NASA
1278386
NASA
HST-GO-09822
Max-Planck-Forschungspreis

Dates

Created
2009-04-06
Created from EPrint's datestamp field
Updated
2021-11-08
Created from EPrint's last_modified field

Caltech Custom Metadata

Caltech groups
COSMOS , Infrared Processing and Analysis Center (IPAC)