Bibcode
Hodge, J. A.; Smail, I.; Walter, F.; da Cunha, E.; Swinbank, A. M.; Rybak, M.; Venemans, B.; Brandt, W. N.; Calistro Rivera, G.; Chapman, S. C.; Chen, Chian-Chou; Cox, P.; Dannerbauer, H.; Decarli, R.; Greve, T. R.; Knudsen, K. K.; Menten, K. M.; Schinnerer, E.; Simpson, J. M.; van der Werf, P.; Wardlow, J. L.; Weiss, A.
Bibliographical reference
The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 876, Issue 2, article id. 130, 16 pp. (2019).
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5
2019
Journal
Citations
116
Refereed citations
101
Description
We present subkiloparsec-scale mapping of the 870 μm ALMA continuum
emission in six luminous (L IR ∼ 5 ×
1012 L ⊙) submillimeter galaxies (SMGs) from
the ALESS survey of the Extended Chandra Deep Field South. Our
high-fidelity 0.″07-resolution imaging (∼500 pc) reveals
robust evidence for structures with deconvolved sizes of
≲0.5–1 kpc embedded within (dominant) exponential dust disks.
The large-scale morphologies of the structures within some of the
galaxies show clear curvature and/or clump-like structures bracketing
elongated nuclear emission, suggestive of bars, star-forming rings, and
spiral arms. In this interpretation, the ratio of the “ring”
and “bar” radii (1.9 ± 0.3) agrees with that measured
for such features in local galaxies. These potential spiral/ring/bar
structures would be consistent with the idea of tidal disturbances, with
their detailed properties implying flat inner rotation curves and
Toomre-unstable disks (Q < 1). The inferred one-dimensional velocity
dispersions (σ r ≲ 70–160 km
s‑1) are marginally consistent with the limits implied
if the sizes of the largest structures are comparable to the Jeans
length. We create maps of the star formation rate density
(ΣSFR) on ∼500 pc scales and show that the SMGs are
able to sustain a given (galaxy-averaged) ΣSFR over
much larger physical scales than local (ultra)luminous infrared
galaxies. However, on 500 pc scales, they do not exceed the Eddington
limit set by radiation pressure on dust. If confirmed by kinematics, the
potential presence of nonaxisymmetric structures would provide a means
for net angular momentum loss and efficient star formation, helping to
explain the very high star formation rates measured in SMGs.
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Two of the most fundamental questions in astrophysics are the conversion of molecular gas into stars and how this physical process is a function of environments on all scales, ranging from planetary systems, stellar clusters, galaxies to galaxy clusters. The main goal of this internal project is to get insight into the formation and evolution of
Helmut
Dannerbauer