Resolved dust emission in a quasar at z = 3.65
Abstract
We present submillimeter observations of the z= 3.653 quasar SDSS 160705+533558 together with data in the optical and infrared. The object is unusually bright in the far-IR and submillimeter with an IR luminosity of ~10^14 L_☉ . We ascribe this luminosity to a combination of active galactic nucleus (AGN) and starburst emission, with the starburst forming stars at a rate of a few thousand solar masses per year. Submillimeter Array imaging observations with a resolution ~1'' show that the submillimeter (850 μm) emission is extended on scales of 10- 35 kpc and is offset from the optical position by ~10 kpc. This morphology is dissimilar to that found in submillimeter galaxies, which are generally unresolved or marginally resolved on arcsecond scales, or submillimeter-luminous AGNs where the AGN lies at the peak of the submillimeter or molecular emission. The simplest explanation is that the object is in the early stages of a merger between a gas-rich galaxy, which hosts the starburst, and a gas-poor AGN-host galaxy, which is responsible for the quasar emission. It is also possible that jet-induced star formation might contribute to the unusual morphology.
Additional Information
© 2009 American Astronomical Society. Print publication: Issue 2 (2009 June 20); received 2009 March 10; accepted for publication 2009 May 11; published 2009 June 5. This work was funded in part by PPARC/STFC and NASA. The Submillimeter Array is a joint project between the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and the Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics and is funded by the Smithsonian Institution and the Academia Sinica. The James Clerk Maxwell Telescope is operated by The Joint Astronomy Centre on behalf of the Science and Technology Facilities Council of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research, and the National Research Council of Canada. Data were taken as part of JCMT project M05AU24. The authors thank Joe Silk, George Bendo, and Pierre Chanial for useful discussions and the anonymous referee whose comments have significantly improved the paper.Attached Files
Published - Clements2009p4793Astrophys_J_Lett.pdf
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Additional details
- Eprint ID
- 14877
- Resolver ID
- CaltechAUTHORS:20090807-153003396
- Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC)
- NASA
- Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
- Academia Sinica
- Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)
- Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (NWO)
- National Research Council of Canada
- Created
-
2009-08-08Created from EPrint's datestamp field
- Updated
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2021-11-08Created from EPrint's last_modified field
- Caltech groups
- Infrared Processing and Analysis Center (IPAC)