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The Intricate Role of Cold Gas and Dust in Galaxy Evolution at Early Cosmic Epochs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 August 2016

Dominik A. Riechers
Affiliation:
Department of Astronomy, Cornell University, Space Sciences Building, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA email: riechers@cornell.edu
Peter L. Capak
Affiliation:
Spitzer Science Center, California Institute of Technology, MC 220-6, 1200 East California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
Christopher L. Carilli
Affiliation:
National Radio Astronomy Observatory, PO Box O, Socorro, NM 87801, USA
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Abstract

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Cold molecular and atomic gas plays a central role in our understanding of early galaxy formation and evolution. It represents the component of the interstellar medium (ISM) that stars form out of, and its mass, distribution, excitation, and dynamics provide crucial insight into the physical processes that support the ongoing star formation and stellar mass buildup. We here present results that demonstrate the capability of the Atacama Large (sub-)Millimeter Array (ALMA) to detect the cold ISM and dust in “normal” galaxies at redshifts z=5–6. We also show detailed studies of the ISM in massive, dust-obscured starburst galaxies out to z>6 with ALMA, the Combined Array for Research in Millimeter-wave Astronomy (CARMA), the Plateau de Bure Interferometer (PdBI), and the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA). These observations place some of the most direct constraints on the dust-obscured fraction of the star formation history of the universe at z>5 to date, showing that “typical” galaxies at these epochs have low dust content, but also that highly-enriched, dusty starbursts already exist within the first billion years after the Big Bang.

Type
Contributed Papers
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2016 

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