An Intensely Star-Forming Galaxy at z~7 with Low Dust and Metal Content Revealed by Deep ALMA and HST Observations

TL;DR

This study presents deep ALMA and HST observations of galaxy Himiko at z~7, revealing its low dust and metal content, high star formation rate, and unique morphology, providing insights into early galaxy formation near reionization.

Contribution

First detailed multi-wavelength analysis of Himiko showing its low dust, weak [CII] emission, and merger-driven morphology at high redshift.

Findings

Himiko has a star formation rate of 100 Mo/yr.

No detectable dust continuum or strong [CII] emission was found.

Himiko exhibits a complex, merging morphology with an active blue core.

Abstract

We report deep ALMA observations complemented with associated HST imaging for a luminous (m_uv=25) galaxy, `Himiko', at a redshift z=6.595. The galaxy is remarkable for its high star formation rate, 100 Mo/yr, securely estimated from our deep HST and Spitzer photometry, and the absence of any evidence for strong AGN activity or gravitational lensing magnification. Our ALMA observations probe an order of magnitude deeper than previous IRAM observations, yet fail to detect a 1.2mm dust continuum, indicating a flux <52uJy comparable with or weaker than that of local dwarf irregulars with much lower star formation rates. We likewise provide a strong upper limit for the flux of [CII] 158um, L([CII]) < 5.4x10^7 Lo, a diagnostic of the hot interstellar gas often described as a valuable probe for early galaxies. In fact, our observations indicate Himiko lies off the local L([CII]) - star formation rate scaling relation by a factor of more than 30. Both aspects of our ALMA observations suggest Himiko is an unique object with a very low dust content and perhaps nearly primordial interstellar gas. Our HST images provide unique insight into the morphology of this remarkable source, highlighting an extremely blue core of activity and two less extreme associated clumps. Himiko is undergoing a triple major merger event whose extensive ionized nebula of Lyman alpha emitting gas, discovered in our earlier work with Subaru, is powered by star formation and the dense circum-galactic gas. We are likely witnessing an early massive galaxy during a key period of its mass assembly close to the end of the reionization era.