The [NII] 205 $\mu$m line emission from high-z SMGs and QSOs

TL;DR

This study observes the [NII] 205 μm line in high-redshift SMGs and QSOs, revealing line deficits and the origins of [CII] emission, with implications for understanding ionized gas in early galaxies.

Contribution

First detection of [NII] 205 μm line in multiple high-z SMGs and QSOs, analyzing line ratios and their relation to galaxy properties and AGN influence.

Findings

[NII]-to-IR luminosity ratio varies over a dex, following local ULIRG trends.

Most [CII] emission originates from neutral medium, with >75% from PDRs.

No significant difference in [NII] emission between SMGs and QSOs.

Abstract

We present [NII] 205 $\mu$m fine structure line observations of three submillimeter galaxies (SMGs) and three quasar host galaxies at 4$\lesssim$z$\lesssim$6 using the Institut de radioastronomie millim\'etrique (IRAM) interferometer. The [NII] emission is detected in three sources, and we report detections of the underlying dust continuum emission in all sources. The observed [NII]-to-infrared luminosity ratio spans at least 0.5 dex for our sources. Comparing our estimates with sources detected in the [NII] 205 $\mu$m at similar redshifts shows that the overall [NII]-to-IR luminosity ratio spans over a dex in magnitude from L$_{[NII]}$/L$_{IR}$ ~ 10$^{-4}$ - 10$^{-5}$ and follows the trend of the so-called [NII] fine structure line deficit observed in (ultra)-luminous infrared galaxies in the local Universe. The [CII]-to-[NII] luminosity ratio is >10 for most of our sources, indicating that the bulk of the [CII] 158 $\mu$m line emission (f([CII]$^{PDR}$)>75%) arises from the neutral medium. From our analysis, we do not find significant differences in the [NII] 205 $\mu$m emission and the respective ratios between SMGs and QSOs, suggesting a negligible contribution to the boosting of [NII] 205 $\mu$m emission due to the active galactic nucleus (AGN) photoionization. Future investigations involving other fine structure lines and optical diagnostics will provide further insight into a suite of ionized medium properties and reveal the diversity between AGN and non-AGN environments.