Detection of molecular gas in an ALMA [CII]-identified Submillimetre Galaxy at z = 4.44

TL;DR

This study reports the detection of molecular gas in a high-redshift submillimetre galaxy using ALMA and ATCA, revealing insights into its gas content, star formation, and comparison with local starburst environments.

Contribution

First detection of $^{12}$CO(2-1) in a $z=4.44$ submillimetre galaxy identified via [CII], providing detailed gas mass and star formation properties at high redshift.

Findings

Gas mass estimated at $1.7 imes 10^{10} M_\odot$.

Gas depletion timescale of ~25 Myr.

High [CII]/FIR ratio indicating extended star formation regions.

Abstract

We present the detection of $^{12}$CO(2-1) in the $z = 4.44$ submillimetre galaxy ALESS65.1 using the Australia Telescope Compact Array. A previous ALMA study of submillimetre galaxies in the Extended Chandra Deep Field South determined the redshift of this optically and near-infrared undetected source through the measurement of [CII] 157.74 $\mu$m emission. Using the luminosity of the $^{12}$CO(2-1) emission we estimate the gas mass to be $M_{\rm gas} \sim 1.7 \times 10^{10}$ ${\rm M}_\odot$. The gas depletion timescale of ALESS65.1 is $\sim$ 25 Myr, similar to other high redshift submillimetre galaxies and consistent with $z > 4$ SMGs being the progenitors of massive "red-and-dead" galaxies at $z > 2$. The ratio of the [CII], $^{12}$CO and far-infrared luminosities implies a strong far-ultraviolet field of $G_0 \sim 10^{3.25}$, which is at the high end of the far-ultraviolet fields seen in local starbursts, but weaker than the far-ultraviolet fields of most nearby ULIRGs. The high ratio of $L_{\rm [CII]}/L_{\rm FIR} = 1.0 \times 10^{-3}$ observed in ALESS65.1, combined with $L_{\rm [CII]}/L_{\rm CO} \sim 2300$, is consistent with ALESS65.1 having more extended regions of intense star formation than local ULIRGs.