High-excitation CO in a quasar host galaxy at z=6.42

被引:213
作者
Bertoldi, F
Cox, P
Neri, R
Carilli, CL
Walter, F
Omont, A
Beelen, A
Henkel, C
Fan, X
Strauss, MA
Menten, KM
机构
[1] Max Planck Inst Radioastron, D-53121 Bonn, Germany
[2] Univ Paris 11, Inst Astrophys Spatiale, F-91405 Orsay, France
[3] Inst Radio Astron Millimetr, F-38406 St Martin Dheres, France
[4] Natl Radio Astron Observ, Socorro, NM 87801 USA
[5] CNRS, Inst Astrophys Paris, F-75014 Paris, France
[6] Univ Paris 06, F-75014 Paris, France
[7] Univ Arizona, Steward Observ, Tucson, AZ 85721 USA
[8] Princeton Univ Observ, Princeton, NJ 08544 USA
关键词
galaxies : formation; galaxies : starburst; galaxies : high-redshift; quasars : emission lines; quasars : individual : SDSS J1148+5251; cosmology : observations;
D O I
10.1051/0004-6361:20031345
中图分类号
P1 [天文学];
学科分类号
0704 ;
摘要
We report the detection of high excitation CO emission from the most distant quasar currently known, SDSS J114816.64+525150.3 (hereafter J1148+5251), at a redshift z = 6.419. The CO (J = 6 --> 5) and (J = 7 --> 6) lines were detected using the IRAM Plateau de Bure interferometer, showing a width of approximate to280 km s(-1). An upper flux limit for the CO (J = 1 --> 0) line was obtained from observations with the Effelsberg 100-meter telescope. Assuming no gravitational magnification, we estimate a molecular gas mass of approximate to2 x 10(10) M.. Using the CO (3 --> 2) observations by Walter et al. (2003), a comparison of the line flux ratios with predictions from a large velocity gradient model suggests that the gas is likely of high excitation, at densities similar to10(4.5) cm(-3) and a temperature similar to100 K. Since in this case the CO lines appear to have moderate optical depths, the gas must be extended over a few kpc. The gas mass detected in J1148+5251 can fuel star formation at the rate implied by the far-infrared luminosity for less than 10 million years, a time comparable to the dynamical time scale of the region. The gas must therefore be replenished quickly, and metal and dust enrichment must occur fast. The strong dust emission and the massive, dense gas reservoir at z similar to 6.4 provide further evidence that vigorous star formation is co-eval with the rapid growth of massive black holes at these early epochs of the Universe.
引用
收藏
页码:L47 / L50
页数:4
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