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At least 1,567 records · Page 87
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DOE OSTI2015

Predictions for observing protostellar outflows with ALMA

Protostellar outflows provide a means to probe the accretion process of forming stars and their ability to inject energy into their surroundings. However, conclusions based on outflow observations depend upon the degree of accuracy with which their properties can be estimated. We examine the quality of Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations of protostellar outflows by producing synthetic {sup 12}CO(1-0) and {sup 13}CO(1-0) observations of numerical simulations. We use various ALMA configurations, observational parameters, and outflow inclinations to assess how accurately different assumptions and setups can recover underlying properties. We find that more compact arrays and longer observing times can improve the mass and momentum recovery by a factor of two. During the first ∼0.3 Myr of evolution, {sup 12}CO(1-0) is optically thick, even for velocities |v|⩾1 km s{sup −1}, and outflow mass is severely underestimated without an optical depth correction. Likewise, {sup 13}CO(1-0) is optically thick during the first ≃0.1 Myr. However, underestimation due to shorter observing time, missing flux, and optical depth are partially offset by the assumption of local thermodynamic equilibrium and higher excitation temperatures. Overall, we expect that full ALMA {sup 13}CO(1-0) observations of protostellar sources within 500 pc with observing times ≳1 hr and assumed excitation temperatures of T<20 K will reliably measure mass and line of sight momentum to within 20%.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

ALMA multi-line observations of the IR-bright merger VV 114

We present Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array cycle 0 observations of the molecular gas and dust in the IR-bright mid-stage merger VV 114 obtained at 160–800 pc resolution. The main aim of this study is to investigate the distribution and kinematics of the cold/warm gas and to quantify the spatial variation of the excitation conditions across the two merging disks. The data contain 10 molecular lines, including the first detection of extranuclear CH{sub 3}OH emission in interacting galaxies, as well as continuum emission. We map the {sup 12}CO(3–2)/{sup 12}CO(1–0) and the {sup 12}CO(1–0)/{sup 13}CO(1–0) line ratio at 800 pc resolution (in the units of K km s{sup −1}), and find that these ratios vary from 0.2–0.8 and 5–50, respectively. Conversely, the 200 pc resolution HCN(4–3)/HCO{sup +}(4–3) line ratio shows low values (<0.5) at a filament across the disks except for the unresolved eastern nucleus which is three times higher (1.34 ± 0.09). We conclude from our observations and a radiative transfer analysis that the molecular gas in the VV 114 system consists of five components with different physical and chemical conditions, i.e., (1) dust-enshrouded nuclear starbursts and/or active galactic nuclei, (2) widespread star-forming dense gas, (3) merger-induced shocked gas, (4) quiescent tenuous gas arms without star formation, and (5) H{sub 2} gas mass of (3.8 ± 0.7) × 10{sup 7} M{sub ⊙} (assuming a conversion factor of α{sub CO} = 0.8 M{sub ⊙} (K km s{sup −1} pc{sup 2}){sup −1}) at the tip of the southern tidal arm, as a potential site of tidal dwarf galaxy formation.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

ALMA observations of the IRDC clump G34.43+00.24 MM3: DNC/HNC ratio

We have observed the clump G34.43+00.24 MM3 associated with an infrared dark cloud in DNC J = 3–2, HN{sup 13}C J = 3–2, and N{sub 2}H{sup +} J = 3–2 with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). The N{sub 2}H{sup +} emission is found to be relatively weak near the hot core and the outflows, and its distribution is clearly anti-correlated with the CS emission. This result indicates that a young outflow is interacting with cold ambient gas. The HN{sup 13}C emission is compact and mostly emanates from the hot core, whereas the DNC emission is extended around the hot core. Thus, the DNC and HN{sup 13}C emission traces warm regions near the protostar differently. The DNC emission is stronger than the HN{sup 13}C emission toward most parts of this clump. The DNC/HNC abundance ratio averaged within a 15{sup ′′} × 15{sup ′′} area around the phase center is higher than 0.06. This ratio is much higher than the value obtained by the previous single-dish observations of DNC and HN{sup 13}C J = 1–0 (∼0.003). It seems likely that the DNC and HNC emission observed with the single-dish telescope traces lower density envelopes, while that observed with ALMA traces higher density and highly deuterated regions. We have compared the observational results with chemical-model results in order to investigate the behavior of DNC and HNC in the dense cores. Taking these results into account, we suggest that the low DNC/HNC ratio in the high-mass sources obtained by the single-dish observations are at least partly due to the low filling factor of the high density regions.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

AN ALMA IMAGING STUDY OF METHYL FORMATE (HCOOCH{sub 3}) IN TORSIONALLY EXCITED STATES TOWARD ORION KL

We recently reported the first identification of rotational transitions of methyl formate (HCOOCH{sub 3}) in the second torsionally excited state toward Orion Kleinmann-Low (KL), observed with the Nobeyama 45 m telescope. In combination with the identified transitions of methyl formate in the ground state and the first torsional excited state, it was found that there is a difference in rotational temperature and vibrational temperature, where the latter is higher. In this study, high spatial resolution analysis by using Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) science verification data was carried out to verify and understand this difference. Toward the Compact Ridge, two different velocity components at 7.3 and 9.1 km s{sup −1} were confirmed, while a single component at 7.3 km s{sup −1} was identified toward the Hot Core. The intensity maps in the ground, first, and second torsional excited states have quite similar distributions. Using extensive ALMA data, we determined the rotational and vibrational temperatures for the Compact Ridge and Hot Core by the conventional rotation diagram method. The rotational temperature and vibrational temperatures agree for the Hot Core and for one component of the Compact Ridge. At the 7.3 km s{sup −1} velocity component for the Compact Ridge, the rotational temperature was found to be higher than the vibrational temperature. This is different from what we obtained from the results by using the single-dish observation. The difference might be explained by the beam dilution effect of the single-dish data and/or the smaller number of observed transitions within the limited range of energy levels (≤30 K) of E{sub u} in the previous study.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

FRAGMENTATION OF MOLECULAR CLUMPS AND FORMATION OF A PROTOCLUSTER

Sufficiently massive clumps of molecular gas collapse under self-gravity and fragment to spawn a cluster of stars that have a range of masses. We investigate observationally the early stages of formation of a stellar cluster in a massive filamentary infrared dark cloud, G28.34+0.06 P1, in the 1.3 mm continuum and spectral line emission using the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array. Sensitive continuum data reveal further fragmentation in five dusty cores at a resolution of several 10{sup 3} AU. Spectral line emission from C{sup 18}O, CH{sub 3}OH, {sup 13}CS, H{sub 2}CO, and N{sub 2}D{sup +} is detected for the first time toward these dense cores. We found that three cores are chemically more evolved as compared with the other two; interestingly, though, all of them are associated with collimated outflows as suggested by evidence from the CO, SiO, CH{sub 3}OH, H{sub 2}CO, and SO emission. The parsec-scale kinematics in exhibit velocity gradients along the filament, consistent with accretion flows toward the clumps and cores. The moderate luminosity and the chemical signatures indicate that the five cores harbor low- to intermediate-mass protostars that likely become massive ones at the end of the accretion. Despite the fact that the mass limit reached by the dust continuum sensitivity is 30 times lower than the thermal Jeans mass, there is a lack of a distributed low-mass protostellar population in the clump. Our observations indicate that in a protocluster, low-mass stars form at a later stage after the birth of more massive protostars.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

An ALMA survey of sub-millimeter galaxies in the extended Chandra deep field south: Physical properties derived from ultraviolet-to-radio modeling

The ALESS survey has followed up on a sample of 122 sub-millimeter sources in the Extended Chandra Deep Field South at 870 μm with the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA), allowing us to pinpoint the positions of sub-millimeter galaxies (SMGs) to ∼0.3 arcsec and to find their precise counterparts at different wavelengths. This enabled the first compilation of the multi-wavelength spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of a statistically reliable survey of SMGs. In this paper, we present a new calibration of the magphys SED modeling code that is optimized to fit these ultraviolet-to-radio SEDs of z>1 star-forming galaxies using an energy balance technique to connect the emission from stellar populations, dust attenuation, and dust emission in a physically consistent way. We derive statistically and physically robust estimates of the photometric redshifts and physical parameters (such as stellar masses, dust attenuation, star formation rates (SFRs), and dust masses) for the ALESS SMGs. We find that the ALESS SMGs have median stellar mass M{sub ∗}=8.9±0.1×10{sup 10} M{sub ⊙}, median SFR = 280±70 M{sub ⊙} yr{sup −1}, median overall V-band dust attenuation A{sub V}=1.9±0.2 mag, median dust mass M{sub dust}=(5.6±1.0)×10{sup 8} M{sub ⊙}, and median average dust temperature T{sub dust}≃40 K. We find that the average intrinsic SED of the ALESS SMGs resembles that of local ultra-luminous infrared galaxies in the infrared range, but the stellar emission of our average SMG is brighter and bluer, indicating lower dust attenuation, possibly because they are more extended. We explore how the average SEDs vary with different parameters (redshift, sub-millimeter flux, dust attenuation, and total infrared luminosity), and we provide a new set of SMG templates that can be used to interpret other SMG observations. To put the ALESS SMGs into context, we compare their stellar masses and SFRs with those of less actively star-forming galaxies at the same redshifts. We find that at z≃2, about half of the SMGs lie above the star-forming main sequence (with SFRs three times larger than normal galaxies of the same stellar mass), while half are consistent with being at the high-mass end of the main sequence. At higher redshifts (z≃3.5), the SMGs tend to have higher SFRs and stellar masses, but the fraction of SMGs that lie significantly above the main sequence decreases to less than a third.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

A measurement of the black hole mass in NGC 1097 using ALMA

We present an estimate of the mass of the supermassive black hole (SMBH) in the nearby type-1 Seyfert galaxy NGC 1097 using Atacamma Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations of dense gas kinematics. Dense molecular gas dynamics are traced with HCN(J=1−0) and HCO{sup +}(J=1−0) emission lines. Assuming a host galaxy inclination of 46{sup ∘}, we derive an SMBH mass, M{sub BH}=1.40{sub −0.32}{sup +0.27}×10{sup 8 }M{sub ⊙}, and an I-band mass to light ratio to be 5.14{sub −0.04}{sup +0.03}, using HCN(J=1−0). The estimated parameters are consistent between the two emission lines. The measured SMBH mass is in good agreement with the SMBH mass and bulge velocity dispersion relationship. Our result showcases ALMA’s potential for deriving accurate SMBH masses, especially for nearby late-type galaxies. Larger samples and accurate SMBH masses will further elucidate the relationship between the black hole (BH) and host galaxy properties and constrain the coevolutionary growth of galaxies and BHs.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

BAND-9 ALMA OBSERVATIONS OF THE [N II] 122 μm LINE AND FIR CONTINUUM IN TWO HIGH-z GALAXIES

We present Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) observations of two high-redshift systems (SMMJ02399-0136 at z{sub 1} ∼ 2.8 and the Cloverleaf QSO at z{sub 1} ∼ 2.5) in their rest-frame 122 μm continuum (ν{sub sky} ∼ 650 GHz, λ{sub sky} ∼ 450 μm) and [N ii] 122 μm line emission. The continuum observations with a synthesized beam of ∼0.″ 25 resolve both sources and recover the expected flux. The Cloverleaf is resolved into a partial Einstein ring, while SMMJ02399-0136 is unambiguously separated into two components: a point source associated with an active galactic nucleus and an extended region at the location of a previously identified dusty starburst. We detect the [N ii] line in both systems, though significantly weaker than our previous detections made with the first generation z (Redshift) and Early Universe Spectrometer. We show that this discrepancy is mostly explained if the line flux is resolved out due to significantly more extended emission and longer ALMA baselines than expected. Based on the ALMA observations we determine that ≥75% of the total [N ii] line flux in each source is produced via star formation. We use the [N ii] line flux that is recovered by ALMA to constrain the N/H abundance, ionized gas mass, hydrogen- ionizing photon rate, and star formation rate. In SMMJ02399-0136 we discover it contains a significant amount (∼1000 M{sub ⊙} yr{sup −1}) of unobscured star formation in addition to its dusty starburst and argue that SMMJ02399-0136 may be similar to the Antennae Galaxies (Arp 244) locally. In total these observations provide a new look at two well-studied systems while demonstrating the power and challenges of Band-9 ALMA observations of high-z systems.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Indirect detection of forming protoplanets via chemical asymmetries in disks

We examine changes in the molecular abundances resulting from increased heating due to a self-luminous planetary companion embedded within a narrow circumstellar disk gap. Using 3D models that include stellar and planetary irradiation, we find that luminous young planets locally heat up the parent circumstellar disk by many tens of Kelvin, resulting in efficient thermal desorption of molecular species that are otherwise locally frozen out. Furthermore, the heating is deposited over large regions of the disk, ±5 AU radially and spanning ≲60{sup ∘} azimuthally. From the 3D chemical models, we compute rotational line emission models and full Atacama Large Millimeter Array simulations, and find that the chemical signatures of the young planet are detectable as chemical asymmetries in ∼10h observations. HCN and its isotopologues are particularly clear tracers of planetary heating for the models considered here, and emission from multiple transitions of the same species is detectable, which encodes temperature information in addition to possible velocity information from the spectra itself. We find submillimeter molecular emission will be a useful tool to study gas giant planet formation in situ, especially beyond R≳10 AU.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

The SCUBA-2 cosmology legacy survey: ALMA resolves the bright-end of the sub-millimeter number counts

We present high-resolution 870 μm Atacama Large Millimeter/sub-millimeter Array (ALMA) continuum maps of 30 bright sub-millimeter sources in the UKIDSS UDS field. These sources are selected from deep, 1 degree{sup 2} 850 μm maps from the SCUBA-2 Cosmology Legacy Survey, and are representative of the brightest sources in the field (median S{sub SCUBA−2} = 8.7 ± 0.4 mJy). We detect 52 sub-millimeter galaxies (SMGs) at >4σ significance in our 30 ALMA maps. In 61{sub −15}{sup +19}% of the ALMA maps the single-dish source comprises a blend of ≥2 SMGs, where the secondary SMGs are Ultra-luminous Infrared Galaxies (ULIRGs) with L{sub IR} ≳ 10{sup 12} L{sub ⊙}. The brightest SMG contributes on average 80{sub −2}{sup +6}% of the single-dish flux density, and in the ALMA maps containing ≥2 SMGs the secondary SMG contributes 25{sub −5}{sup +1}% of the integrated ALMA flux. We construct source counts and show that multiplicity boosts the apparent single-dish cumulative counts by 20% at S{sub 870} > 7.5 mJy, and by 60% at S{sub 870} > 12 mJy. We combine our sample with previous ALMA studies of fainter SMGs and show that the counts are well-described by a double power law with a break at 8.5 ± 0.6 mJy. The break corresponds to a luminosity of ∼6 × 10{sup 12} L{sub ⊙} or a star formation rate (SFR) of ∼10{sup 3} M{sub ⊙} yr{sup −1}. For the typical sizes of these SMGs, which are resolved in our ALMA data with R{sub e} = 1.2 ± 0.1 kpc, this yields a limiting SFR density of ∼100 M{sub ⊙} yr{sup −1} kpc{sup −2} Finally, the number density of S{sub 870} ≳ 2 mJy SMGs is 80 ± 30 times higher than that derived from blank-field counts. An over-abundance of faint SMGs is inconsistent with line-of-sight projections dominating multiplicity in the brightest SMGs, and indicates that a significant proportion of these high-redshift ULIRGs are likely to be physically associated.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Star formation and the interstellar medium in z>6 UV-luminous Lyman-break galaxies

We present Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) detections of atomic carbon line and dust continuum emission in two UV-luminous galaxies at redshift 6. The far-infrared (far-IR) luminosities of these galaxies are substantially lower than similar starbursts at later cosmic epochs, indicating an evolution in the dust properties with redshift, in agreement with the evolution seen in ultraviolet (UV) attenuation by dust. The [C ii] to FIR ratios are found to be higher than at low redshift showing that [C ii] should be readily detectable by ALMA within the reionization epoch. One of the two galaxies shows a complex merger nature with the less massive component dominating the UV emission and the more massive component dominating the FIR line and continuum. Using the interstellar atomic carbon line to derive the systemic redshifts we investigate the velocity of Lyα emission emerging from high-z galaxies. In contrast to previous work, we find no evidence for decreasing Lyα velocity shifts at high-redshift. We observe an increase in velocity shifts from z≈2 to z≈6, consistent with the effects of increased intergalactic medium absorption.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Observational signatures of planets in protoplanetary disks. I. Gaps opened by single and multiple young planets in disks

It has been suggested that the gaps and cavities recently discovered in transitional disks are opened by planets. To explore this scenario, we combine two-dimensional two fluid (gas + particle) hydrodynamical calculations with three-dimensional Monte Carlo Radiative Transfer simulations and study the observational signatures of gaps opened by one or several planets, making qualitative comparisons with observations. We find that a single planet as small as 0.2 M{sub J} can produce a deep gap at millimeter wavelengths and almost no features at near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths, while multiple planets can open up a few ×10 AU wide common gap at both wavelengths. Both the contrast ratio of the gaps and the wavelength dependence of the gap sizes are broadly consistent with data. We also confirm previous results that NIR gap sizes may be smaller than millimeter gap sizes due to dust–gas coupling and radiative transfer effects. When viewed at a moderate inclination angle, a physically circular on-centered gap could appear to be off-centered from the star due to shadowing. Planet-induced spiral arms are more apparent at NIR than at millimeter wavelengths. Overall, our results suggest that the planet-opening-gap scenario is a promising way to explain the origin of the transitional disks. Finally, inspired by the recent Atacama Large Millimeter Array release of the image of the HL Tau disk, we show that multiple narrow gaps, well separated by bright rings, can be opened by 0.2M{sub J} planets soon after their formation in a relatively massive disk.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

DOUBLE DCO{sup +} RINGS REVEAL CO ICE DESORPTION IN THE OUTER DISK AROUND IM LUP

In a protoplanetary disk, a combination of thermal and non-thermal desorption processes regulate where volatiles are liberated from icy grain mantles into the gas phase. Non-thermal desorption should result in volatile-enriched gas in disk-regions where complete freeze-out is otherwise expected. We present Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array observations of the disk around the young star IM Lup in 1.4 mm continuum, C{sup 18}O 2–1, H{sup 13}CO{sup +} 3–2 and DCO{sup +} 3–2 emission at ∼0.″5 resolution. The images of these dust and gas tracers are clearly resolved. The DCO{sup +} line exhibits a striking pair of concentric rings of emission that peak at radii of ∼0.″6 and 2″ (∼90 and 300 AU, respectively). Based on disk chemistry model comparison, the inner DCO{sup +} ring is associated with the balance of CO freeze-out and thermal desorption due to a radial decrease in disk temperature. The outer DCO{sup +} ring is explained by non-thermal desorption of CO ice in the low-column-density outer disk, repopulating the disk midplane with cold CO gas. The CO gas then reacts with abundant H{sub 2}D{sup +} to form the observed DCO{sup +} outer ring. These observations demonstrate that spatially resolved DCO{sup +} emission can be used to trace otherwise hidden cold gas reservoirs in the outmost disk regions, opening a new window onto their chemistry and kinematics.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

OPTICAL–INFRARED PROPERTIES OF FAINT 1.3 mm SOURCES DETECTED WITH ALMA

We report optical-infrared (IR) properties of faint 1.3 mm sources (S{sub 1.3mm} = 0.2–1.0 mJy) detected with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in the Subaru/XMM-Newton Deep Survey field. We searched for optical/IR counterparts of eight ALMA-detected sources (≥4.0σ, the sum of the probability of spurious source contamination is ∼1) in a K-band source catalog. Four ALMA sources have K-band counterpart candidates within a 0.″4 radius. Comparison between ALMA-detected and undetected K-band sources in the same observing fields shows that ALMA-detected sources tend to be brighter, more massive, and more actively forming stars. While many of the ALMA-identified submillimeter-bright galaxies (SMGs) in previous studies lie above the sequence of star-forming galaxies in the stellar mass–star formation rate plane, our ALMA sources are located in the sequence, suggesting that the ALMA-detected faint sources are more like “normal” star-forming galaxies rather than “classical” SMGs. We found a region where multiple ALMA sources and K-band sources reside in a narrow photometric redshift range (z ∼ 1.3–1.6) within a radius of 5″ (42 kpc if we assume z = 1.45). This is possibly a pre-merging system and we may be witnessing the early phase of formation of a massive elliptical galaxy.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

ALMA OBSERVATIONS OF THE SUBMILLIMETER DENSE MOLECULAR GAS TRACERS IN THE LUMINOUS TYPE-1 ACTIVE NUCLEUS OF NGC 7469

We present Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) Cycle 1 observations of the central kiloparsec region of the luminous type 1 Seyfert galaxy NGC 7469 with unprecedented high resolution (0.″5 ×0.″4 = 165 × 132 pc) at submillimeter wavelengths. Utilizing the wide bandwidth of ALMA, we simultaneously obtained HCN(4–3), HCO{sup +}(4–3), CS(7–6), and partially CO(3–2) line maps, as well as the 860 μm continuum. The region consists of the central ∼1″ component and the surrounding starburst ring with a radius of ∼1.″5–2.″5. Several structures connect these components. Except for CO(3–2), these dense gas tracers are significantly concentrated toward the central ∼1″, suggesting their suitability to probe the nuclear regions of galaxies. Their spatial distribution resembles well those of centimeter and mid-infrared continuum emissions, but it is anticorrelated with the optical one, indicating the existence of dust-obscured star formation. The integrated intensity ratios of HCN(4–3)/HCO{sup +}(4–3) and HCN(4–3)/CS(7–6) are higher at the active galactic nucleus (AGN) position than at the starburst ring, which is consistent with our previous findings (submillimeter-HCN enhancement). However, the HCN(4–3)/HCO{sup +}(4–3) ratio at the AGN position of NGC 7469 (1.11 ± 0.06) is almost half of the corresponding value of the low-luminosity type 1 Seyfert galaxy NGC 1097 (2.0 ± 0.2), despite the more than two orders of magnitude higher X-ray luminosity of NGC 7469. But the ratio is comparable to that of the close vicinity of the AGN of NGC 1068 (∼1.5). Based on these results, we speculate that some heating mechanisms other than X-ray (e.g., mechanical heating due to an AGN jet) can contribute significantly for shaping the chemical composition in NGC 1097.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

The innermost mass distribution of the gravitational lens SDP.81 from ALMA observations

The central image of a strongly lensed background source places constraints on the foreground lens galaxy’s inner mass profile slope, core radius, and mass of its nuclear supermassive black hole. Using high-resolution long-baseline Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations and archival Hubble Space Telescope (HST) imaging, we model the gravitational lens H-ATLAS J090311.6+003906 (also known as SDP.81) and search for the demagnified central image. There is central continuum emission from the lens galaxy’s active galactic nucleus (AGN) but no evidence of the central lensed image in any molecular line. We use the CO maps to determine the flux limit of the central image excluding the AGN continuum. We predict the flux density of the central image and use the limits from the ALMA data to constrain the innermost mass distribution of the lens. For a power-law profile with a core radius of 0.″15 measured from HST photometry of the lens galaxy assuming that the central flux is attributed to the AGN, we find that a black hole mass of log(M{sub BH}/M{sub ⊙})≳8.5 is preferred. Deeper observations with a detection of the central image will significantly improve the constraints of the innermost mass distribution of the lens galaxy.

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DOE OSTI2015

HerMES: ALMA imaging of Herschel-selected dusty star-forming galaxies

The Herschel Multi-tiered Extragalactic Survey (HerMES) has identified large numbers of dusty star-forming galaxies (DSFGs) over a wide range in redshift. A detailed understanding of these DSFGs is hampered by the limited spatial resolution of Herschel. We present 870 μm 0.″45 resolution imaging obtained with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) of a sample of 29 HerMES DSFGs that have far-infrared (FIR) flux densities that lie between the brightest of sources found by Herschel and fainter DSFGs found via ground-based surveys in the submillimeter region. The ALMA imaging reveals that these DSFGs comprise a total of 62 sources (down to the 5σ point-source sensitivity limit in our ALMA sample; σ≈0.2 mJy). Optical or near-infrared imaging indicates that 36 of the ALMA sources experience a significant flux boost from gravitational lensing (μ>1.1), but only six are strongly lensed and show multiple images. We introduce and make use of uvmcmcfit, a general-purpose and publicly available Markov chain Monte Carlo visibility-plane analysis tool to analyze the source properties. Combined with our previous work on brighter Herschel sources, the lens models presented here tentatively favor intrinsic number counts for DSFGs with a break near 8 mJy at 880 μm and a steep fall-off at higher flux densities. Nearly 70% of the Herschel sources break down into multiple ALMA counterparts, consistent with previous research indicating that the multiplicity rate is high in bright sources discovered in single-dish submillimeter or FIR surveys. The ALMA counterparts to our Herschel targets are located significantly closer to each other than ALMA counterparts to sources found in the LABOCA ECDFS Submillimeter Survey. Theoretical models underpredict the excess number of sources with small separations seen in our ALMA sample. The high multiplicity rate and small projected separations between sources seen in our sample argue in favor of interactions and mergers plausibly driving both the prodigious emission from the brightest DSFGs as well as the sharp downturn above S{sub 880}=8 mJy.

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