Limits on the Molecular Gas Content of z-5 LBGs

TL;DR

This study places upper limits on the molecular gas content of z~5 Lyman Break Galaxies, suggesting they are not large reservoirs of cold gas and likely have short star formation timescales, impacting reionization models.

Contribution

First observational constraints on molecular gas in z~5 LBGs using CO line non-detections, informing galaxy evolution and reionization theories.

Findings

Upper limits on H2 mass of ~10^10 Msun for individual LBGs.

Typical LBGs have H2 masses comparable to their stellar masses.

Star formation in these LBGs can last up to ~100 Myr.

Abstract

We present limits on the molecular gas content of Lyman Break Galaxies (LBGs) at z~5 from observations targetting redshifted CO(1-0) and CO(2-1) line emission. We observed a single field containing eight spectroscopically-confirmed z~5 LBGs, seven of which are contained within a narrow (z=4.95\pm 0.08) redshift range and the eighth is at z=5.2. No source was individually detected. Assuming the CO to H2 conversion factor for vigorous starbursts, we place upper limits on the molecular gas content of individual z~5 LBGs of M(H2)<~10^10 Msun. From a stacking analysis combining all of the non-detections, the typical z~5 LBG has an H2 mass limit comparable to their stellar mass, < 3.1 x 10^9 Msun. This limit implies that, given the star formation rates of these systems (measured from their UV emission), star formation could be sustained for at most ~100Myr, similar to the typical ages of their stellar populations. The lack of a substantially larger reservoir of cold gas argues against the LBGs being UV luminous super starbursts embedded in much larger UV-dark systems and as a result increases the likelihood that at least those LBGs with multiple components are starbursts triggered by mergers. The sources responsible for reionization are expected to be starbursts similar to these systems, but with lower luminosities, masses and consequently with star formation timescales far shorter than the recombination timescale. If so, the ionized bubbles expected in the IGM during the reionization era will infrequently have UV-luminous sources at their centres.