The prospects for observing [OIII] 52 micron emission from galaxies during the Epoch of Reionization

TL;DR

This paper evaluates the potential of future ALMA observations of the [OIII] 52 micron line to resolve degeneracies in ISM properties of high-redshift galaxies during the Epoch of Reionization, enhancing understanding of galaxy evolution.

Contribution

It provides forecasts for detecting the [OIII] 52 micron line in early galaxies, outlining observational strategies to better constrain ISM parameters at high redshift.

Findings

Forecasts 6-sigma detections in specific galaxies within 2-10 hours.

Detecting or constraining the 52 micron line improves estimates of gas density and metallicity.

Identifies SXDF-NB1006-2 as a promising target for initial observations.

Abstract

The [OIII] 88 $\mu$m fine structure emission line has been detected into the Epoch of Reionization (EoR) from star-forming galaxies at redshifts $6 < z \lesssim 9$ with ALMA. These measurements provide valuable information regarding the properties of the interstellar medium (ISM) in the highest redshift galaxies discovered thus far. The [OIII] 88 $\mu$m line observations leave, however, a degeneracy between the gas density and metallicity in these systems. Here we quantify the prospects for breaking this degeneracy using future ALMA observations of the [\oiii] 52 $\mu$m line. Among the current set of ten [OIII] 88 $\mu$m emitters at $6 < z \lesssim 9$, we forecast 52 $\mu$m detections (at 6-$\sigma$) in SXDF-NB1006-2, B14-6566, J0217-0208, and J1211-0118 within on-source observing times of 2-10 hours, provided their gas densities are larger than about $n_{\mathrm{H}} \gtrsim 10^2-10^3$ cm$^{-3}$. Other targets generally require much longer integration times for a 6-$\sigma$ detection. Either successful detections of the 52 $\mu$m line, or reliable upper limits, will lead to significantly tighter constraints on ISM parameters. The forecasted improvements are as large as $\sim 3$ dex in gas density and $\sim 1$ dex in metallicity for some regions of parameter space. We suggest SXDF-NB1006-2 as a promising first target for 52 $\mu$m line measurements. We discuss how such measurements will help in understanding the mass metallicity relationship during the EoR.