Deep, ultra-high-resolution radio imaging of submillimetre galaxies using Very Long Baseline Interferometry

TL;DR

This study uses ultra-high-resolution VLBI imaging to investigate the radio emission origins in distant submillimetre galaxies, finding most emission is from star formation rather than active black holes.

Contribution

First ultra-high-resolution VLBI imaging of distant SMGs at 18cm, distinguishing between starburst activity and active SMBHs in these galaxies.

Findings

Ultra-compact cores found in only two of six SMGs

Radio emission mainly from larger-scale star formation

Supports previous evidence that SMGs' radio emission is star-formation dominated

Abstract

We present continent-scale VLBI - obtained with the European VLBI Network (EVN) at a wavelength of 18cm - of six distant, luminous submm-selected galaxies (SMGs). Our images have a synthesized beam width of ~30 milliarcsec FWHM - three orders of magnitude smaller in area than the highest resolution VLA imaging at this wavelength - and are capable of separating radio emission from ultra-compact radio cores (associated with active super-massive black holes - SMBHs) from that due to starburst activity. Despite targeting compact sources - as judged by earlier observations with the VLA and MERLIN - we identify ultra-compact cores in only two of our targets. This suggests that the radio emission from SMGs is produced primarily on larger scales than those probed by the EVN, and therefore is generated by star formation rather than an AGN - a result consistent with other methods used to identify the presence of SMBHs in these systems.