On the nature of sub-millimetre galaxies

TL;DR

This paper reviews the current understanding of high-redshift sub-millimetre galaxies, examining their properties, and presents new insights from a case study within the Hubble Ultra Deep Field, highlighting their significance in galaxy evolution.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive review of sub-millimetre galaxy properties and introduces new observational results from a specific galaxy in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field.

Findings

Sub-millimetre galaxies have comparable masses and sizes to other star-forming galaxies at similar redshifts.

They exhibit high specific star-formation rates, indicating intense star-forming activity.

SCUBA2 remains a vital instrument for studying these galaxies in the Herschel era.

Abstract

I discuss our current understanding of the nature of high-redshift (z > 2) (sub)-millimetre-selected galaxies, with a particular focus on whether their properties are representative of, or dramatically different from those displayed by the general star-forming galaxy population at these epochs. As a specific case study, I present some new results on the one sub-millimetre galaxy which happens to lie within the Hubble Ultra Deep Field and thus benefits from the very best available ultra-deep optical-infrared Hubble Space Telescope and Spitzer Space Telescope imaging. I then consider what these and other recent results from optical-infrared studies of sub-millimetre and millimetre selected galaxies imply about their typical masses, sizes and specific star-formation rates, and how these compare with those of other star-forming galaxies selected at similar redshifts. I conclude with a brief discussion of the continued importance and promise of SCUBA2 in the era of Herschel.