The molecular gas content of z = 3 lyman break galaxies: Evidence of a non-evolving gas fraction in main-sequence galaxies at z > 2
- Author(s)
- Georgios E. Magdis, Emanuele Daddi, Mark T. Sargent, Helmut Dannerbauer
- Abstract
We present observations of the CO[J = 3 ? 2] emission toward two massive and infrared luminous Lyman break galaxies (LBGs) at z = 3.21 and z = 2.92, using the IRAM Plateau de Bure Interferometer, placing first constraints on the molecular gas masses (M gas) of non-lensed LBGs. Their overall properties are consistent with those of typical (main-sequence) galaxies at their redshifts, with specific star formation rates 1.6 and 2.2Gyr -1, despite their large infrared luminosities (L IR (2-3) × 10 12L) derived from Herschel. With one plausible CO detection (spurious detection probability of 10 -3) and one upper limit, we investigate the evolution of the molecular gas-to-stellar mass ratio (M gas/M *) with redshift. Our data suggest that the steep evolution of M gas/M * of normal galaxies up to z 2 is followed by a flattening at higher redshifts, providing supporting evidence for the existence of a plateau in the evolution of the specific star formation rate at z > 2.5.
- Organisation(s)
- Department of Astrophysics
- External organisation(s)
- Centre National De La Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Paris VII - Paris-Diderot, Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie
- Journal
- The Astrophysical journal Letters
- Volume
- 758
- ISSN
- 2041-8205
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/758/1/L9
- Publication date
- 2012
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Austrian Fields of Science 2012
- 103004 Astrophysics
- Portal url
- https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/0fbd414d-9cd7-4662-aa48-390b6d6927ee