Dual constraints with ALMA: new [O III] 88 ${\rm \mu}$m and dust-continuum observations reveal the ISM conditions of luminous LBGs at $z \sim 7$

TL;DR

This study uses new ALMA [O III] 88 μm and dust continuum observations of luminous z~7 LBGs to explore their ISM conditions, revealing spatially extended [C II] emission and challenging existing nebular models.

Contribution

It provides the first combined [O III] and dust continuum analysis of luminous z~7 LBGs, revealing spatial gas distributions and model discrepancies.

Findings

[O III] emission correlates with optical line equivalent widths.

[C II] emission is more extended than [O III], indicating different gas phases.

Models require alpha/Fe enhancement and near-solar oxygen to match [O III] strength.

Abstract

We present new [O III] 88 ${\rm \mu}$m observations of five bright $z \sim 7$ Lyman-break galaxies spectroscopically confirmed by ALMA through the [C II] 158 ${\rm \mu}$m line, unlike recent [O III] detections where Lyman-${\rm \alpha}$ was used. This nearly doubles the sample of Epoch of Reionisation galaxies with robust ($5 \sigma$) detections of [C II] and [O III]. We perform a multi-wavelength comparison with new deep HST images of the rest-frame UV, whose compact morphology aligns well with [O III] tracing ionised gas. By contrast, we find more spatially extended [C II] emission likely produced in neutral gas, as indicated by a [N II] 205 ${\rm \mu}$m non-detection in one source. We find a positive correlation between the equivalent width of the optical [O III] and H${\rm \beta}$ lines and the [O III]/[C II] ratio, as seen in local metal-poor dwarf galaxies. Cloudy models of a nebula of typical density harbouring a young stellar population with a high ionisation parameter appear to adequately reproduce the far-infrared lines. Surprisingly, however, our models fail to reproduce the strength of [O III] 88 ${\rm \mu}$m, unless we assume an ${\rm \alpha}$/Fe enhancement and a near-solar nebular oxygen abundance. On spatially resolved scales, we find [O III]/[C II] shows a tentative anti-correlation with infrared excess, $L_{\rm IR}/L_{\rm UV}$, also seen on global scales in the local Universe. Finally, we introduce the far-infrared spectral energy distribution fitting code MERCURIUS to show that dust-continuum measurements of one source appear to favour a low dust temperature coupled with a high dust mass. This implies a high stellar metallicity yield and may point towards the need of dust production or grain-growth mechanisms beyond supernovae.