An ALMA [C II] Survey of 27 Quasars at z > 5.94

Journal
Date Issued
2018
Author(s)
•
Walter, Fabian
•
Venemans, Bram P.
•
Bañados, Eduardo
•
Bertoldi, Frank
•
Carilli, Chris
•
Fan, Xiaohui
•
Farina, Emanuele Paolo
•
Mazzucchelli, Chiara
•
Riechers, Dominik
•
Rix, Hans-Walter
•
Strauss, Michael A.
•
Wang, Ran
•
Yang, Yujin
DOI
Abstract
We present a survey of the [C II] 158 μm line and underlying far-infrared (FIR) dust continuum emission in a sample of 27 z≳ 6 quasars using the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) at ∼ 1\prime\prime resolution. The [C II] line was significantly detected (at > 5-σ) in 23 sources (85%). We find typical line luminosities of {L}[{{C}{{II}}]}={10}9-10 {L}☉ , and an average line width of ∼385 {km} {{{s}}}-1. The [C II]-to-far-infrared luminosity ratios ([C II]/FIR) in our sources span one order of magnitude, highlighting a variety of conditions in the star-forming medium. Four quasar host galaxies are clearly resolved in their [C II] emission on a few kpc scales. Basic estimates of the dynamical masses of the host galaxies give masses between 2 × 1010 and 2 × 1011 {M}☉ , i.e., more than an order of magnitude below what is expected from local scaling relations, given the available limits on the masses of the central black holes (> 3× {10}8 {M}☉ , assuming Eddington-limited accretion). In stacked ALMA [C II] spectra of individual sources in our sample, we find no evidence of a deviation from a single Gaussian profile. The quasar luminosity does not strongly correlate with either the [C II] luminosity or equivalent width. This survey (with typical on-source integration times of 8 minutes) showcases the unparalleled sensitivity of ALMA at millimeter wavelengths, and offers a unique reference sample for the study of the first massive galaxies in the universe.
Volume
854
Issue
2
Start page
97
Uri
Url
Issn Identifier
0004-637X
Ads BibCode
2018ApJ...854...97D
Rights
open.access
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