Discovery of a Multiply-Lensed Submillimeter Galaxy in Early HerMES Herschel/SPIRE Data

TL;DR

This paper reports the discovery and detailed analysis of a strongly lensed submillimeter galaxy at redshift 2.96, revealing its high luminosity, warm dust temperature, and intense star formation, enabled by Herschel and follow-up observations.

Contribution

First detailed multi-wavelength study of a multiply-lensed submillimeter galaxy from Herschel data, including lensing model, SED analysis, and star formation rate estimation.

Findings

Lensed galaxy at z=2.96 with magnification ~11.

Unusually warm dust temperature of 88 K.

Star formation rate estimated at ~2500 solar masses per year.

Abstract

We report the discovery of a bright ($f(250\mum) > 400$ mJy), multiply-lensed submillimeter galaxy \obj\ in {\it Herschel}/SPIRE Science Demonstration Phase data from the HerMES project. Interferometric 880\mum\ Submillimeter Array observations resolve at least four images with a large separation of $\sim 9\arcsec$. A high-resolution adaptive optics $K_p$ image with Keck/NIRC2 clearly shows strong lensing arcs. Follow-up spectroscopy gives a redshift of $z=2.9575$, and the lensing model gives a total magnification of $\mu \sim 11 \pm 1$. The large image separation allows us to study the multi-wavelength spectral energy distribution (SED) of the lensed source unobscured by the central lensing mass. The far-IR/millimeter-wave SED is well described by a modified blackbody fit with an unusually warm dust temperature, $88 \pm 3$ K. We derive a lensing-corrected total IR luminosity of $(1.43 \pm 0.09) \times 10^{13}\, \mathrm{L}_{\odot}$, implying a star formation rate of $\sim 2500\, \mathrm{M}_{\odot}\, \mathrm{yr}^{-1}$. However, models primarily developed from brighter galaxies selected at longer wavelengths are a poor fit to the full optical-to-millimeter SED. A number of other strongly lensed systems have already been discovered in early {\it Herschel} data, and many more are expected as additional data are collected.