Abstract
We present ALMA Band 9 observations of the [CII]158 μm emission for a sample of 10 mainsequence galaxies at redshift z ~ 2, with typical stellar masses (logM*/M⊙ ~ 10.0-10.9) and star formation rates (~35-115 M⊙ yr-1). Given the strong and well-understood evolution of the interstellar medium from the present to z = 2, we investigate the behaviour of the [CII] emission and empirically identify its primary driver. We detect [C II] from six galaxies (four secure and 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 × 10-3), and ~10 times higher than that of starbursts. The [CII] 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 [CII] luminosity correlates with galaxies' molecular gas mass, with a mean absolute deviation of 0.2 dex and without evident systematics: the [CII]- to-H2 conversion factor (α[C II] ~ 30 M⊙/L⊙) 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 ultraviolet light from star formation reprocessed by dust.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1976-1999 |
Number of pages | 24 |
Journal | Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society |
Volume | 481 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1 Dec 2018 |
Keywords
- Galaxies: ISM-galaxies: star formation
- Galaxies: evolution
- Galaxies: high redshift
- Galaxies: starburst
- Submillimetre: galaxies