paper

CO and Dust in PSS2322+1944 at a redshift of 4.12

arXiv:astro-ph/0203355 · doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20020382

Abstract

Using the IRAM interferometer we have detected J=4-3 and 5-4 CO line emission toward the radio quiet quasar PSS2322+1944. At a redshift of z_CO=4.1199 this is the fourth and strongest detection of CO at z>4. The velocity-integrated CO J=4-3 and J=5-4 line fluxes are 4.21+-0.40 and 3.74+-0.56 Jy km/s, and the linewidth is ~300 km/s. The CO J=10-9 line was searched for but not detected with an upper intensity limit of 30 mJy. The 1.35 mm (250 mum rest wavelength) continuum flux density is 7.5+-1.3 mJy, in agreement with previous bolometer measurements at 1.2 mm with the 30-m IRAM telescope. The 3mm (580 mum rest wavelength) continuum is not detected with a 3 sigma upper limit of 0.7mJy. We also report observations of the 450 mum continuum in PSS2322+1944 using the SCUBA array at the JCMT. The quasar was detected with a 450 mum flux density of 79+-19mJy. At the angular resolution of 4.8" x 2.1" at 1.3mm and 6.2" x 4.9" at 3.2 mm, the interferometer observations do not show evidence of spatial extension in the continuum or CO line emission. Assuming no gravitational magnification, we estimate a molecular gas mass of ~2.5x10^11 M_sun. The molecular gas is warm (40-100 K) and dense (10^3.5-10^4.1 cm^-3). The infrared-to-CO luminosity ratio is ~185 L_sun/(K km/s pc^2), comparable to the values found for ultraluminous infrared galaxies. The detection of CO emission in this high redshift QSO provides further evidence that the radio emission and the millimeter to submillimeter continuum emission are predominantly powered by a starburst which is coeval with the AGN activity.

6 pages, 3 postscript figures. accepted by Astronomy & Astrophysics

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