PRUSSIC I - a JVLA survey of HCN/HCO+/HNC (1-0) emission in z$\sim$3 dusty galaxies: Low dense-gas fractions in high-redshift star-forming galaxies

Autor: Rybak, M., Hodge, J. A., Greve, T. R., Riechers, D., Lamperti, I., van Marrewijk, J., Walter, F., Wagg, J., van der Werf, P. P.
Rok vydání: 2022
Předmět:
Zdroj: A&A 667, A70 (2022)
Druh dokumentu: Working Paper
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/202243894
Popis: Dusty star-forming galaxies (DSFGs) at redshift z$\geq$1 are among the most vigorously star-forming galaxies in the Universe. However, their dense ($\geq$10$^5$ cm$^{-3}$ ) gas phase - typically traced by HCN(1-0) - remains almost entirely unexplored: only two DSFGs have been detected in HCN(1-0) to date. We present results of a JVLA survey of the J=1-0 transition of HCN, HCO+, and HNC(1-0) in six strongly lensed DSFGs at z = 2.5 - 3.3, effectively doubling the number of DSFGs with deep observations of these lines. We detect HCN(1-0) emission in one source (J1202+5354, 4.4$\sigma$), with a tentative HCO+ (1-0) detection in another (J1609+6045, 3.3$\sigma$). Spectral stacking yields strict upper limits on the HCN/FIR ($\leq$3.6$\times$10$^{-4}$) and HCN/CO(1-0) ratios ($\leq$0.045). The inferred HCN/FIR ratios (a proxy for the star-formation efficiency) are consistent with those in z$\sim$0 FIR-luminous starbursts. However, the HCN/CO ratios - a proxy for the dense-gas fraction - are a factor of a few lower than suggested by the two previous DSFG detections. Our results imply that most DSFGs have low dense-gas fractions. A comparison with Krumholz & Thompson (2007) models of star-forming galaxies indicates that the bulk of gas in DSFGs is at lower densities ($\approx$10$^2$ cm$^{-3}$ ), similar to "normal" star-forming galaxies, rather than ultraluminous starbursts.
Comment: Submitted to A&A 28th April 2022, accepted 19th July 2022
Databáze: arXiv