arXiv subjects

M. Sargent

Publications and source records attributed to M. Sargent.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Star Formation and Accretion in Nearby Galaxies

The appearance of galaxies is strongly dominated by two physical phenomena: star formation and accretion of material onto compact objects, primarily supermassive black holes. Nearby galaxies offer a unique window to study these processes in detail and with high spatial resolution. The $\mu$Jy sensitivity, sub-arcsecond angular resolution and broadband coverage provided by SKA AA4 configuration will enable us to separate morphologically and spectrally the contribution from SMBH accretion and star formation processes, from the most compact nuclear region out to the most diffuse, galaxy-wide components. Disentangling thermal and non-thermal emission using multi-scale spectral index maps (traced by SKA-Mid) and absorption processes (traced mainly by SKA-Low) will allow us to account for the present and past star-formation rate, the AGN activity and the ISM properties. SKA observations of a wide range of galaxy types in the nearby Universe, including quiescent, AGN-dominated and starburst galaxies, will provide a broad view of how star formation and accretion regulate galaxy evolution, while time-domain and spectral-variability information further isolate compact accretion and transient phenomena.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

COSMOS Brightest Group Galaxies -- III: Evolution of stellar ages

The unique characteristics of the brightest group galaxies (BGGs) link the evolutionary continuum between galaxies like the Milky Way and more massive BCGs in dense clusters. This study investigates the stellar properties of BGGs over cosmic time (z = 0.08-1.30), extending our previous work (Gozaliasl et al. 2016, 2018; Paper I and Paper II). We analyze data of 246 BGGs from our X-ray galaxy group catalog in the COSMOS field, examining stellar age, mass, star formation rate (SFR), specific SFR (sSFR), and halo mass. Comparisons are made with Millennium and Magneticum simulations. We explore the variation of stellar properties with the projected offset from the X-ray peak or host halo center. Using a mock galaxy catalog, we evaluated the accuracy of SED-derived stellar ages, finding a mean absolute error of about one Gyr. Observed BGG age distributions show a bias towards younger ages compared to semi-analytical models and the Magneticum simulation. Our analysis of stellar age versus mass reveals trends with a positive slope, suggesting complex evolutionary pathways across redshifts. We observe a negative correlation between stellar age and SFR across all redshift ranges. Using a cosmic-time-dependent main sequence framework, we identify star-forming BGGs, finding that about 20% of BGGs in the local universe exhibit star-forming characteristics, increasing to 50% at $z=1.0$. Our findings support an inside-out formation scenario for BGGs, where older stellar populations are near the X-ray peak and younger populations at larger offsets indicate ongoing star formation. The distribution of stellar ages for lower-mass BGGs ($10^{10-11} M_\odot$) deviates from constant ages predicted by models, highlighting current models' limitations in capturing galaxies' complex star formation histories.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2023

SKA Science Data Challenge 2: analysis and results

The Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO) will explore the radio sky to new depths in order to conduct transformational science. SKAO data products made available to astronomers will be correspondingly large and complex, requiring the application of advanced analysis techniques to extract key science findings. To this end, SKAO is conducting a series of Science Data Challenges, each designed to familiarise the scientific community with SKAO data and to drive the development of new analysis techniques. We present the results from Science Data Challenge 2 (SDC2), which invited participants to find and characterise 233245 neutral hydrogen (Hi) sources in a simulated data product representing a 2000~h SKA MID spectral line observation from redshifts 0.25 to 0.5. Through the generous support of eight international supercomputing facilities, participants were able to undertake the Challenge using dedicated computational resources. Alongside the main challenge, `reproducibility awards' were made in recognition of those pipelines which demonstrated Open Science best practice. The Challenge saw over 100 participants develop a range of new and existing techniques, with results that highlight the strengths of multidisciplinary and collaborative effort. The winning strategy -- which combined predictions from two independent machine learning techniques to yield a 20 percent improvement in overall performance -- underscores one of the main Challenge outcomes: that of method complementarity. It is likely that the combination of methods in a so-called ensemble approach will be key to exploiting very large astronomical datasets.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2022

Dust grain size evolution in local galaxies: a comparison between observations and simulations

The evolution of the dust grain size distribution has been studied in recent years with great detail in cosmological hydrodynamical simulations taking into account all the channels under which dust evolves in the interstellar medium. We present a systematic analysis of the observed spectral energy distribution of a large sample of galaxies in the local universe in order to derive not only the total dust masses but also the relative mass fraction between small and large dust grains (DS/DL). Simulations reproduce fairly well the observations except for the high stellar mass regime where dust masses tend to be overestimated. We find that ~45% of galaxies exhibit DS/DL consistent with the expectations of simulations, while there is a sub-sample of massive galaxies presenting high DS/DL (log(DS/DL)~-0.5), and deviating from the prediction in simulations. For these galaxies, which also have high molecular gas mass fractions and metallicities, coagulation is not an important mechanism affecting the dust evolution. Including diffusion, transporting large grains from dense regions to a more diffuse medium where they can be easily shattered, would explain the observed high DS/DL values in these galaxies. With this study we reinforce the use of the small-to-large grain mass ratio to study the relative importance of the different mechanisms in the dust life cycle. Multi-phase hydrodynamical simulations with detailed feedback prescriptions and more realistic subgrid models for the dense phase could help to reproduce the evolution of the dust grain size distribution traced by observations.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2020

COLDz: Deep 34 GHz Continuum Observations and Free-free Emission in High-redshift Star-forming Galaxies

The high-frequency radio sky has historically remained largely unexplored due to the typical faintness of sources in this regime, and the modest survey speed compared to observations at lower frequencies. However, high-frequency radio surveys present an invaluable tracer of high-redshift star-formation, as they directly target the faint radio free-free emission. We present deep continuum observations at 34 GHz in the COSMOS and GOODS-North fields from the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA), as part of the COLDz survey. The deep COSMOS mosaic spans $\sim10\text{arcmin}^2$ down to $σ=1.3μ\text{Jy beam}^{-1}$, while the wider GOODS-N observations cover $\sim50\text{arcmin}^2$ to $σ=5.3μ\text{Jy beam}^{-1}$. We present the deepest 34 GHz radio number counts to date, with five and thirteen continuum detections in COSMOS and GOODS-N, respectively. Nine galaxies show 34 GHz continuum emission that is originating from star-formation, although for two sources this is likely due to thermal emission from dust. Utilizing deep ancillary radio data at 1.4, 3, 5 and 10 GHz, we decompose the spectra of the remaining seven star-forming galaxies into their synchrotron and thermal free-free components, finding typical thermal fractions and synchrotron spectral indices comparable to those observed in local star-forming galaxies. Using calibrations from the literature, we determine free-free star-formation rates (SFRs), and show that these are in agreement with SFRs from spectral energy distribution fitting and the far-infrared/radio correlation. Our observations place strong direct constraints on the high-frequency radio emission in typical galaxies at high-redshift, and provide some of the first insight in what is set to become a key area of study with future radio facilities as the Square Kilometer Array Phase 1 and next-generation VLA.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2020

GOODS-ALMA: The slow downfall of star-formation in $z$ = 2-3 massive galaxies

We investigate the properties of a sample of 35 galaxies, detected with ALMA at 1.1 mm in the GOODS-ALMA field (area of 69 arcmin$^2$, resolution = 0.60", RMS $\simeq$ 0.18 mJy beam$^{-1}$). Using the UV-to-radio deep multiwavelength coverage of the GOODS-South field, we fit the spectral energy distributions of these galaxies to derive their key physical properties. The galaxies detected by ALMA are among the most massive at $z$ = 2-4 (M$_{\star,med}$ = 8.5$ \times$ 10$^{10}$ M$_\odot$) and are either starburst or located in the upper part of the galaxy star-forming main sequence. A significant portion of our galaxy population ($\sim$ 40%), located at $z\sim$ 2.5-3, exhibits abnormally low gas fractions. The sizes of these galaxies, measured with ALMA, are compatible with the trend between $H$-band size and stellar mass observed for $z\sim2$ elliptical galaxies suggesting that they are building compact bulges. We show that there is a strong link between star formation surface density (at 1.1 mm) and gas depletion time: the more compact a galaxy's star-forming region is, the shorter its lifetime will be (without gas replenishment). The identified compact sources associated with relatively short depletion timescales ($\sim$100 Myr), are the ideal candidates to be the progenitors of compact elliptical galaxies at $z$ $\sim$ 2.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2020

Observations of [OI]63micron line emission in main-sequence galaxies at z~1.5

We present Herschel-PACS spectroscopy of four main-sequence star-forming galaxies at z~1.5. We detect [OI]63micron line emission in BzK-21000 at z=1.5213, and measure a line luminosity, L([OI]63micron) = (3.9+/-0.7)x1.E+9 Lsun. Our PDR modelling of the interstellar medium in BzK-21000 suggests a UV radiation field strength, G~320 G0, and gas density, n~1800 cm-3, consistent with previous LVG modelling of the molecular CO line excitation. The other three targets in our sample are individually undetected in these data, and we perform a spectral stacking analysis which yields a detection of their average emission and an [OI]63micron line luminosity, L([OI]63micron) =(1.1+/-0.2)x1E+9 Lsun. We find that the implied luminosity ratio, L([OI]63micron)/L(IR), of the undetected BzK-selected star-forming galaxies broadly agrees with that of low-redshift star-forming galaxies, while BzK-21000 has a similar ratio to that of a dusty star-forming galaxy at z~6. The high [OI]63micron line luminosities observed in BzK-21000 and the $z \sim 1 -3$ dusty and submm luminous star-forming galaxies may be associated with extended reservoirs of low density, cool neutral gas.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2020

JINGLE -- IV. Dust, HI gas and metal scaling laws in the local Universe

Scaling laws of dust, HI gas and metal mass with stellar mass, specific star formation rate and metallicity are crucial to our understanding of the buildup of galaxies through their enrichment with metals and dust. In this work, we analyse how the dust and metal content varies with specific gas mass ($M_{\text{HI}}$/$M_{\star}$) across a diverse sample of 423 nearby galaxies. The observed trends are interpreted with a set of Dust and Element evolUtion modelS (DEUS) - incluidng stellar dust production, grain growth, and dust destruction - within a Bayesian framework to enable a rigorous search of the multi-dimensional parameter space. We find that these scaling laws for galaxies with $-1.0\lesssim \log M_{\text{HI}}$/$M_{\star}\lesssim0$ can be reproduced using closed-box models with high fractions (37-89$\%$) of supernova dust surviving a reverse shock, relatively low grain growth efficiencies ($ε$=30-40), and long dus lifetimes (1-2\,Gyr). The models have present-day dust masses with similar contributions from stellar sources (50-80\,$\%$) and grain growth (20-50\,$\%$). Over the entire lifetime of these galaxies, the contribution from stardust ($>$90\,$\%$) outweighs the fraction of dust grown in the interstellar medium ($<$10$\%$). Our results provide an alternative for the chemical evolution models that require extremely low supernova dust production efficiencies and short grain growth timescales to reproduce local scaling laws, and could help solving the conundrum on whether or not grains can grow efficiently in the interstellar medium.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2019

Automated Mining of the ALMA Archive in the COSMOS Field (A3COSMOS): II. Cold Molecular Gas Evolution out to Redshift 6

We present new measurements of the cosmic cold molecular gas evolution out to redshift 6 based on systematic mining of the ALMA public archive in the COSMOS deep field (A3COSMOS). Our A3COSMOS dataset contains ~700 galaxies (0.3 < z < 6) with high-confidence ALMA detections in the (sub-)millimeter continuum and multi-wavelength spectral energy distributions (SEDs). Multiple gas mass calibration methods are compared and biases in band conversions (from observed ALMA wavelength to rest-frame Rayleigh-Jeans(RJ)-tail continuum) have been tested. Combining our A3COSMOS sample with ~1,000 CO-observed galaxies at 0 < z < 4 (75% at z < 0.1), we parameterize galaxies' molecular gas depletion time and molecular gas to stellar mass ratio (gas fraction) each as a function of the stellar mass, offset from the star-forming main sequence (Delta MS) and cosmic age (or redshift). Our proposed functional form provides a statistically better fit to current data (than functional forms in the literature), and implies a "downsizing" effect (i.e., more-massive galaxies evolve earlier than less-massive ones) and "mass-quenching" (gas consumption slows down with cosmic time for massive galaxies but speeds up for low-mass ones). Adopting galaxy stellar mass functions and applying our function for gas mass calculation, we for the first time infer the cosmic cold molecular gas density evolution out to redshift 6 and find agreement with CO blind surveys as well as semi-analytic modeling. These together provide a coherent picture of cold molecular gas, SFR and stellar mass evolution in galaxies across cosmic time.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2019

Automated Mining of the ALMA Archive in the COSMOS Field (A3COSMOS): I. Robust ALMA Continuum Photometry Catalogs and Stellar Mass and Star Formation Properties for ~700 Galaxies at z=0.5-6

The rich information on (sub)millimeter dust continuum emission from distant galaxies in the public Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) archive is contained in thousands of inhomogeneous observations from individual PI-led programs. To increase the usability of these data for studies deepening our understanding of galaxy evolution, we have developed automated mining pipelines for the ALMA archive in the COSMOS field (A3COSMOS) that efficiently exploit the available information for large numbers of galaxies across cosmic time and keep the data products in sync with the increasing public ALMA archive: (a) a dedicated ALMA continuum imaging pipeline, (b) two complementary photometry pipelines for both blind source extraction and prior source fitting, (c) a counterpart association pipeline utilizing the multiwavelength data available (including quality assessment based on machine-learning techniques), (d) an assessment of potential (sub)millimeter line contribution to the measured ALMA continuum, and (e) extensive simulations to provide statistical corrections to biases and uncertainties in the ALMA continuum measurements. Application of these tools yields photometry catalogs with ~1000 (sub)millimeter detections (spurious fraction ~8%-12%) from over 1500 individual ALMA continuum images. Combined with ancillary photometric and redshift catalogs and the above quality assessments, we provide robust information on redshift, stellar mass, and star formation rate for ~700 galaxies at redshifts 0.5-6 in the COSMOS field (with undetermined selection function). The ALMA photometric measurements and galaxy properties are released publicly within our blind extraction, prior fitting, and galaxy property catalogs, plus the images. These products will be updated on a regular basis in the future.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2019

Sunyaev-Zel'dovich detection of the galaxy cluster Cl J1449+0856 at z = 1.99: the pressure profile in uv space

We present Atacama Large Millimetre Array and Atacama Compact Array observations of the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect in the z = 2 galaxy cluster Cl J1449+0856, an X-ray-detected progenitor of typical massive clusters in the present day Universe. While in a cleaned but otherwise untouched 92 GHz map of this cluster, little to no negative signal is visible, careful subtraction of known sub-millimetre emitters in the uv plane reveals a decrement at 5$σ$ significance. The total signal is -190$\pm$36 $μ$Jy, with a peak offset by 5"-9" ($\sim$50 kpc) from both the X-ray centroid and the still-forming brightest cluster galaxy. A comparison of the recovered uv-amplitude profile of the decrement with different pressure models allows us to derive total mass constraints consistent with the $\sim$6$\times$10$^{13}$ M$_{\odot}$ estimated from X-ray data. Moreover, we find no strong evidence for a deviation of the pressure profile with respect to local galaxy clusters, although a slight tension at small-to-intermediate spatial scales suggests a flattened central profile, opposite to what seen in a cool core and possibly an AGN-related effect. This analysis of the lowest mass single SZ detection so far illustrates the importance of interferometers when observing the SZ effect in high-redshift clusters, the cores of which cannot be considered quiescent, such that careful subtraction of galaxy emission is necessary.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2019

The Main Sequence at $z \sim 1.3$ contains a sizable fraction of galaxies with compact star formation sizes: a new population of early post-starbursts?

ALMA measurements for 93 $Herschel$-selected galaxies at $1.1 \leqslant z \leqslant 1.7$ in COSMOS reveal a sizable ($>29$\%) population with compact star formation (SF) sizes, lying on average $> \times 3.6$ below the optical stellar mass ($M_{\star}$)-size relation of disks. This sample widely spans the star-forming Main Sequence (MS), having $10^{8} \leqslant M_{\star} \leqslant 10^{11.5} \ M_{\odot}$ and $20 \leqslant SFR \leqslant 680 \ M_{\odot} \rm yr^{-1}$. The 32 size measurements and 61 upper limits are measured on ALMA images that combine observations of CO(5-4), CO(4-3), CO(2-1) and $λ_{\rm obs} \sim 1.1-1.3 \ \rm mm$ continuum, all tracing the star-forming molecular gas. These compact galaxies have instead normally extended $K_{band}$ sizes, suggesting strong specific $SFR$ gradients. Compact galaxies comprise the $50\pm18 \%$ of MS galaxies at $M_{\star} > 10^{11} M_{\odot}$. This is not expected in standard bi-modal scenarios where MS galaxies are mostly steadily-growing extended disks. We suggest that compact MS objects are early post-starburst galaxies in which the merger-driven boost of SF has subsided. They retain their compact SF size until either further gas accretion restores pre-merger galaxy-wide SF, or until becoming quenched. The fraction of merger-affected SF inside the MS seems thus larger than anticipated and might reach $\sim 50$\% at the highest $M_{\star}$. The presence of large galaxies above the MS demonstrates an overall poor correlation between galaxy SF size and specific $SFR$.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2019

The IRAM/GISMO two-millimeter survey in the COSMOS field

We present deep continuum observations at a wavelength of 2mm centered on the COSMOS field using the Goddard IRAM Superconducting Millimeter Observer (GISMO) at the IRAM 30m-telescope. These data constitute the widest deep 2mm survey to-date, reaching a uniform $σ\sim0.23$mJy beam$^{-1}$ sensitivity over $\sim250$arcmin$^2$ at $\sim\,24''$ resolution. We detect four sources at high significance (S/N$\,\geq\,$4.4) with an expected number of false detection of 0.09 sources, and five sources at $4.4>\,$S/N$\,\geq\,3.7$ with an expected number of false detection of 1.65 sources. Combined with deep GISMO observations in GOODS-N, we constrain the 2mm number counts over one decade in flux density. These measurements agree with most galaxy evolution models tested here, except those with large population of dusty star-forming galaxies at $z>7$. Five GISMO sources have counterparts in (sub-)millimeter catalogs available in COSMOS. Their redshifts suggest that all but one lie above $z\sim3$. These four high-redshift ($z>3$) galaxies have $\tilde{z}=3.9$, SFRs $\sim\,$400 - 1200M$_{\odot}\,$yr$^{-1}$ and $M_{\rm dust}\sim10^{9.5}\,$M$_{\odot}$. They provide a relatively complete selection ($\sim66\%$) of the most luminous ($L_{\rm IR}>10^{12.6}\,$L$_{\odot}$) and highest redshift ($z>3$) galaxies detected within our survey area by AzTEC at 1.1mm. We thus conclude that 2mm surveys favor the selection of massive, vigorously star-forming, high-redshift galaxies. This is corroborated by GISMO-C4, a source with a low false detection probability ($\sim\,6.2\%$), for which the absence of a (sub-)millimeter counterpart supports a high redshift origin ($z\gtrsim3$).

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2019

Radio continuum size evolution of star-forming galaxies over 0.35 < z < 2.25

We present the first systematic study of the radio continuum size evolution of star-forming galaxies (SFGs) over the redshift range $0.35<z<2.25$. We use the VLA COSMOS 3GHz map (noise $\rm rms=2.3\,μJy \,beam^{-1}$, $θ_{\rm beam}=0.75\,\rm arcsec$) to construct a mass-complete sample of 3184 radio-selected SFGs that reside on and above the main-sequence (MS) of SFGs. We find no clear dependence between the radio size and stellar mass, $M_{\star}$, of SFGs with $10.5\lesssim\log(M_\star/\rm M_\odot)\lesssim11.5$. Our analysis suggests that MS galaxies are preferentially extended, while SFGs above the MS are always compact. The median effective radius of SFGs on (above) the MS of $R_{\rm eff}=1.5\pm0.2$ ($1.0\pm0.2$) kpc remains nearly constant with cosmic time; a parametrization of the form $R_{\rm eff}\propto(1+z)^α$ yields a shallow slope of only $α=-0.26\pm0.08\,(0.12\pm0.14)$ for SFGs on (above) the MS. The size of the stellar component of galaxies is larger than the extent of the radio continuum emission by a factor $\sim$2 (1.3) at $z=0.5\,(2)$, indicating star formation is enhanced at small radii. The galactic-averaged star formation rate surface density $(Σ_{\rm SFR})$ scales with the distance to the MS, except for a fraction of MS galaxies ($\lesssim10\%$) that harbor starburst-like $Σ_{\rm SFR}$. These "hidden" starbursts might have experienced a compaction phase due to disk instability and/or merger-driven burst of star formation, which may or may not significantly offset a galaxy from the MS. We thus propose to jointly use $Σ_{\rm SFR}$ and distance to the MS to better identify the galaxy population undergoing a starbursting phase.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2018

The molecular gas content and fuel efficiency of starbursts at z ~ 1.6 with ALMA

We present an analysis of the molecular gas properties, based on CO(2 - 1) emission, of twelve starburst galaxies at z~1.6 selected by having a boost (>~4x) in their star formation rate (SFR) above the average star-forming galaxy at an equivalent stellar mass. ALMA observations are acquired of six additional galaxies than previously reported through our effort. As a result of the larger statistical sample, we significantly detect, for the first time at high-z, a systematically lower L'_CO/L_IR ratio in galaxies lying above the star-forming `main sequence' (MS). Based on an estimate of alpha_CO (i.e., the ratio of molecular gas mass to L'_CO(1-0)), we convert the observational quantities (e.g., L'_CO/L_IR) to physical units (M_gas/SFR) that represent the gas depletion time or its inverse, the star formation efficiency. We interpret the results as indicative of the star formation efficiency increasing in a continuous fashion from the MS to the starburst regime, whereas the gas fractions remain comparable to those of MS galaxies. Although, the balance between an increase in star-formation efficiency or gas fraction depends on the adopted value of alpha_CO as discussed.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2018

Concurrent starbursts in molecular gas disks within a pair of colliding galaxies at z = 1.52

We report on the discovery of a merger-driven starburst at z = 1.52, PACS-787, based on high signal-to-noise ALMA observations. CO(5-4) and continuum emission (850um) at a spatial resolution of 0.3" reveal two compact (r_1/2 ~ 1 kpc) and interacting molecular gas disks at a separation of 8.6 kpc thus indicative of an early stage in a merger. With a SFR of 991 Msun/yr, this starburst event should occur closer to final coalescence, as usually seen in hydrodynamical simulations. From the CO size, inclination, and velocity profile for both disks, the dynamical mass is calculated through a novel method that incorporates a calibration using simulations of galaxy mergers. Based on the dynamical mass, we measure (1) the molecular gas mass, independent from the CO luminosity, (2) the ratio of the total gas mass and the CO(1 - 0) luminosity (alpha_CO = M_gas/L'_CO(1-0)), and (3) the gas-to-dust ratio, with the latter two being lower than typically assumed. We find that the high star formation, triggered in both galaxies, is caused by a set of optimal conditions: a high gas mass/fraction, a short depletion time (t_depl=85 and 67 Myrs) to convert gas into stars, and the interaction of likely counter-rotating molecular disks that may accelerate the loss of angular momentum. The state of interaction is further established by the detection of diffuse CO and continuum emission, tidal debris that bridges the two nuclei and is associated with stellar emission seen by HST/WFC3. This observation demonstrates the power of ALMA to study the dynamics of galaxy mergers at high redshift.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2018

The [C II] emission as a molecular gas mass tracer in galaxies at low and high redshift

We present ALMA Band 9 observations of the [C II]158um emission for a sample of 10 main-sequence galaxies at redshift z ~ 2, with typical stellar masses (log M*/Msun ~ 10.0 - 10.9) and star formation rates (~ 35 - 115 Msun/yr). Given the strong and well understood evolution of the interstellar medium from the present to z = 2, we investigate the behaviour of the [C II] emission and empirically identify its primary driver. We detect [C II] from six galaxies (four secure, two tentative) and estimate ensemble averages including non detections. The [C II]-to-infrared luminosity ratio (L[C II]/LIR) of our sample is similar to that of local main-sequence galaxies (~ 2 x 10^-3), and ~ 10 times higher than that of starbursts. The [C II] emission has an average spatial extent of 4 - 7 kpc, consistent with the optical size. Complementing our sample with literature data, we find that the [C II] luminosity correlates with galaxies' molecular gas mass, with a mean absolute deviation of 0.2 dex and without evident systematics: the [C II]-to-H2 conversion factor (alpha_[C II] ~ 30 Msun/Lsun) is largely independent of galaxies' depletion time, metallicity, and redshift. [C II] seems therefore a convenient tracer to estimate galaxies' molecular gas content regardless of their starburst or main-sequence nature, and extending to metal-poor galaxies at low and high redshifts. The dearth of [C II] emission reported for z > 6 - 7 galaxies might suggest either a high star formation efficiency or a small fraction of UV light from star formation reprocessed by dust.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2018

GOODS-ALMA: 1.1 mm galaxy survey - I. Source catalogue and optically dark galaxies

We present a 69 arcmin$^2$ ALMA survey at 1.1mm, GOODS-ALMA, matching the deepest HST-WFC3 H-band part of the GOODS-South field. We taper the 0"24 original image with a homogeneous and circular synthesized beam of 0"60 to reduce the number of independent beams - thus reducing the number of purely statistical spurious detections - and optimize the sensitivity to point sources. We extract a catalogue of galaxies purely selected by ALMA and identify sources with and without HST counterparts down to a 5$σ$ limiting depth of H=28.2 AB (HST/WFC3 F160W). ALMA detects 20 sources brighter than 0.7 mJy in the 0"60 tapered mosaic (rms sensitivity =0.18 mJy/beam) with a purity greater than 80%. Among these detections, we identify three sources with no HST nor Spitzer-IRAC counterpart, consistent with the expected number of spurious galaxies from the analysis of the inverted image; their definitive status will require additional investigation. An additional three sources with HST counterparts are detected either at high significance in the higher resolution map, or with different detection-algorithm parameters ensuring a purity greater than 80%. Hence we identify in total 20 robust detections. Our wide contiguous survey allows us to push further in redshift the blind detection of massive galaxies with ALMA with a median redshift of $z$=2.92 and a median stellar mass of M$_{\star}$ = 1.1 $\times 10^{11}$M$_\odot$. Our sample includes 20% HST-dark galaxies (4 out of 20), all detected in the mid-infrared with IRAC. The near-infrared based photometric redshifts of two of them $z\sim$4.3 and 4.8) suggest that these sources have redshifts $z$>4. At least 40% of the ALMA sources host an X-ray AGN, compared to 14% for other galaxies of similar mass and redshift. The wide area of our ALMA survey provides lower values at the bright end of number counts than single-dish telescopes

astro-ph.GA↗