RESEARCH
<< back
The ALMA Spectroscopic Survey in the HUDF: Nature and Physical Properties of Gas-mass Selected Galaxies Using MUSE Spectroscopy

L. A. Boogaard, R. Decarli, J. González-López, P. van der Werf, F. Walter, R. J. Bouwens, M. Aravena, C. L. Carilli, F. E. Bauer, J. Brinchmann, T. Contini, P. Cox, E. da Cunha, E. Daddi, T. Díaz-Santos, J. A. Hodge, H. Inami, R. J. Ivison, M. V. Maseda, J. Matthee, P. Oesch, G. Popping, D. A. Riechers, J. Schaye, S. Schouws, I. Smail, A. Weiss, L. Wisotzki, R. Bacon, P. C. Cortes, H. -W. Rix, R. S. Somerville, A. M. Swinbank, J. Wagg

Abstract
We discuss the nature and physical properties of gas-mass selected galaxies in the ALMA spectroscopic survey (ASPECS) of the Hubble Ultra Deep Field (HUDF). We capitalize on the deep optical integral-field spectroscopy from the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) HUDF Survey and multiwavelength data to uniquely associate all 16 line emitters, detected in the ALMA data without preselection, with rotational transitions of carbon monoxide (CO). We identify 10 as CO(2–1) at 1 < z < 2, 5 as CO(3–2) at 2 < z < 3, and 1 as CO(4–3) at z = 3.6. Using the MUSE data as a prior, we identify two additional CO(2–1) emitters, increasing the total sample size to 18. We infer metallicities consistent with (super-)solar for the CO-detected galaxies at z ≤ 1.5, motivating our choice of a Galactic conversion factor between CO luminosity and molecular gas mass for these galaxies. Using deep Chandra imaging of the HUDF, we determine an X-ray AGN fraction of 20% and 60% among the CO emitters at z ~ 1.4 and z ~ 2.6, respectively. Being a CO-flux-limited survey, ASPECS-LP detects molecular gas in galaxies on, above, and below the main sequence (MS) at z ~ 1.4. For stellar masses ≥1010 (1010.5) Msun, we detect about 40% (50%) of all galaxies in the HUDF at 1 < z < 2 (2 < z < 3). The combination of ALMA and MUSE integral-field spectroscopy thus enables an unprecedented view of MS galaxies during the peak of galaxy formation.

Keywords
galaxies: high-redshift; galaxies: ISM; galaxies: star formation

The Astrophysical Journal
Volume 882, Number 2, Page 31
2019 September

>> ADS>> DOI

Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa Universidade do Porto Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade de Coimbra
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia COMPETE 2020 PORTUGAL 2020 União Europeia