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Molecular gas in dusty high-redshift galaxies
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Sharon, Chelsea Electra. Molecular gas in dusty high-redshift galaxies. Retrieved from https://doi.org/doi:10.7282/T37H1H58

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TitleMolecular gas in dusty high-redshift galaxies
NameSharon, Chelsea Electra (author); Baker, Andrew J (chair); Cizewski, Jolie A (internal member); Hughes, John P (internal member); Gawiser, Eric J (internal member); Harris, Andrew I (outside member); Rutgers University; Graduate School - New Brunswick
Date Created2013
Other Date2013-05 (degree)
SubjectPhysics and Astronomy, Galaxies--Spectra, Stars--Formation, Gases--Analysis
Extentxiv, 126 p. : ill.
DescriptionWe present high-resolution observations of carbon monoxide (CO) emission lines for three high-redshift galaxies in order to determine their molecular gas and star formation properties. These galaxies (SMM J14011+0252, SMM J00266+1708, and SDSS J0901+1814) have large infrared luminosities, which imply high dust enshrouded star formation rates and substantial molecular gas masses. We observed these sources using the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope, the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array, the Plateau de Bure Interferometer, and the Submillimeter Array in order to obtain measurements of multiple CO spectral lines, allowing us to determine the physical conditions of the molecular gas. Our high resolution and multi-line CO mapping of SMM J00266+1708 reveals that it is a pair of merging galaxies, whose two components have different gas excitation conditions and different gas kinematics. For SMM J14011+0252 (J14011), we find a near-unity CO(3-2)/CO(1-0) intensity ratio, consistent with a single phase (i.e., a single temperature and density) of molecular gas and different from the average population value for dusty galaxies selected at submillimeter wavelengths. Our radiative transfer modeling (using the large velocity gradient approximation) indicates that converting the CO line luminosity to molecular gas mass requires a Galactic (disk-like) scale factor rather than the typical conversion factor assumed for starbursts. Despite this choice of conversion factor, J14011 falls in the same region of star formation rate surface density and gas mass surface density (the Schmidt-Kennicutt relation) as other starburst galaxies. SDSS J0901+1814 (J0901) was initially selected as a star-forming galaxy at ultraviolet wavelengths, but also has a large infrared luminosity. We use the magnification provided by the strong gravitational lensing affecting this system to examine the spatial variation of the CO excitation within J0901. We find that the CO(3-2)/CO(1-0) line ratio is higher in central regions than in extended structure, supporting a picture of the molecular gas where regions of higher excitation gas (higher temperature and density) are embedded in an extended low excitation phase. We also examine the resolved Schmidt-Kennicutt relation as a function of CO line excitation for J0901 and find no systematic difference between the best-fit power law indices for the two emission lines.
NotePh.D.
NoteIncludes bibliographical references
Noteby Chelsea Electra Sharon
Genretheses, ETD doctoral
Persistent URLhttps://doi.org/doi:10.7282/T37H1H58
Languageeng
CollectionGraduate School - New Brunswick Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Organization NameRutgers, The State University of New Jersey
RightsThe author owns the copyright to this work.
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