Theoretical work suggests that AGNs play an important role in quenching star formation in massive galaxies. In addition to molecular outflows observed in the local universe, emission from very high-J CO rotational transitions have been a key piece of evidence for AGN directly affecting the molecular gas reservoirs that fuel star formation. However, very few observations exist of CO rotational lines past the peak of the CO spectral line energy distribution (SLED) for galaxies in the early universe. Here we present new ALMA observations of high-J CO rotational lines (from CO(5–4) to CO(16–15)) in six z > 2 IR-bright systems, including several sources not known to contain a strong AGN for comparison. We detect significant amounts of high-excitation CO emission that suggests the presence of energy sources beyond UV-heating.

A large-scale structure has been recently discovered at z = 1.7, around a powerful FRII radio galaxy. Eight Star Forming Galaxies (SFGs) have been discovered within Δ z ≍ 0.0095 and at < 1 Mpc from the FRII, indicating that this is a signpost of a protocluster. Furthermore, a significant X-ray diffuse emission overlapping the Eastern lobe of the FRII has been detected. Protoclusters are the ideal targets to investigate the complex assembly processes leading to the formation of local galaxy clusters. We will exploit new ALMA CO(2-1) observations (PI: R. Gilli) of the entire region around the FRII galaxy to trace the molecular gas content, in order to discover new protocluster members. Coupling these measurements with the multi-wavelength data coverage available for this field, we aim at placing constrains on the physical conditions in which star formation occurs, and ultimately infer the role of the radio jets in triggering it.

We conduct a survey for Lyman break galaxies (LBGs) and Lyman alpha emitters (LAEs) in the environs of six and 17 z ∼ 4 quasars respectively, probing scales of R≲9h−1Mpc. We detect an enhancement of galaxies (both LBGs and LAEs) in quasar fields, a positive and strong quasar-galaxy cross-correlation function, consistent with a power-law shape, and a strong galaxy auto-correlation function in quasar fields. The three mentioned results are all indicators that quasars trace massive dark matter halos in the early universe.

The advent of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) has enabled a new era for studies of the formation and assembly of distant galaxies. Cosmological deep field surveys with ALMA and other interferometers have flourished in the last few years covering wide ranges of galaxy properties and redshift, and allowing us to gain critical insights into the physical mechanisms behind the galaxy growth. Here, we present a brief review of recent studies that aim to characterize the interstellar medium properties of galaxies at high redshift (z > 1), focusing on blank-field ALMA surveys of dust continuum and molecular line emission. In particular, we show recent results from the ALMA Spectroscopic Survey in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field (ASPECS) large program.

The completion of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) has led to the ability to make observations with unprecedented resolution at sub-millimeter wavelengths, allowing novel probes of the ISM and kinematics of high-redshift galaxies. Because they are magnified by foreground galaxies or clusters, gravitationally lensed galaxies allow the highest possible spatial resolution to be obtained, and/or a sharp reduction in the observing time required to detect faint objects or spectral lines. These benefits have made lensed galaxies useful benchmark systems for ALMA, enabling a wide variety of science cases. Here I focus in particular on spatially-resolved observations of massive galactic outflows in the very distant z > 4 universe, summarizing plausible tracers of the cold molecular phase of these outflows. The prospects of joint JWST and ALMA observations will be revolutionary, including the chance to take a full census of galactic outflows in multiple gas phases at matched spatial resolution.

We discuss the serendipitous discovery of a dusty high-redshift galaxy in a small (8 arcmin2) ALMA 3-mm survey Williams et al. (2019). The galaxy was previously unknown and is absent from existing multi-wavelength catalogs (“ALMA-only”). Using the ALMA position as prior, we perform forced deblended photometry to constrain its spectral energy distribution. The spectral energy distribution is well described by a massive (M* = 1010.8 M⊙) and highly obscured (AV ∼ 4) galaxy at redshift z = 5.5 ± 1.1 with star formation rate ∼ 300 M⊙yr−1. Our small survey area implies an uncertain but large contribution to the cosmic star formation rate density, similar to the contribution from all ultraviolet-selected galaxies combined at this redshift. This galaxy likely traces an abundant population of massive galaxies absent from current samples of infrared-selected or sub-millimeter galaxies, but with larger space densities, higher duty cycles, and significant contribution to the cosmic star-formation rate and stellar mass densities.

We still do not understand the physical mechanisms that are responsible for suppressing star formation in galaxies. Observations of post-starburst galaxies, whose spectra indicate that an intense period of star formation was followed by rapid quenching, are the ideal sample to probe the quenching process. We have conducted an ALMA survey of CO(2-1) in 13 of these recently- quenched galaxies at z ∼ 0.7 – high enough redshift that these galaxies likely just concluded their primary epoch of star formation, but low enough redshift for follow-up observations to be feasible. Our observations reveal a stunning diversity of molecular gas properties: despite a uniform optical selection and low apparent SFRs, the detected galaxies span a factor of > 30 in CO luminosity and have inferred gas fractions ranging from < 1% to 20%. These observations indicate that quenching does not require the total removal or depletion of molecular gas. No current models of the quenching process can fully explain our results.

Starburst galaxies at z ∼ 2 – 4 are among the most intensely star-forming galaxies in the universe. The way they accrete their gas to form stars at such high rates is still a controversial issue. ALMA has detected the CH+ (J = 1-0) line in emission and/or absorption in all the gravitationally lensed starburst galaxies targeted so far at z ∼ 3. Its unique spectroscopic and chemical properties enable CH+ to highlight the sites of most intense dissipation of mechanical energy. The absorption lines reveal highly turbulent, massive reservoirs of low-density molecular gas. The broad emission lines, arising in myriad UV-irradiated molecular shocks, reveal powerful galactic winds. The CH+ lines therefore probe the fate of prodigious energy releases, due to infall and/or outflows, and primarily stored in turbulence before being radiated by cool molecular gas. The turbulent reservoirs act as mass and energy buffers over the duration of the starburst phase.

We have entered an era where the gas mass estimates of distant galaxies do not rely on a single tracer but rather on an inventory of different and independent methods, much like the case for the determination of the star formation rate (SFR) of the galaxies. This is crucial as the traditional Mgas tracers, i.e. low-J CO transition lines and dust continuum emission are becoming highly uncertain as we move to higher redshifts due to metallicity and CMB effects. Here, we present a homogeneous and statistically significant investigation of the use of atomic carbon as an alternative Mgas tracer (Valentino et al.2018) and provide evidence of optically thick far-IR emission in high−z starbursts that point towards higher dust temperatures and lower dust and gas mass estimates than previously inferred (Cortzen et al.2019, submitted). Finally, we present direct observations of the effect of the CMB on the far-IR SEDs of high-z SBs, manifested by unphyscally large (β = 2.5–3.5) apparent spectral indexes in R-J tail (Jin et al. 2019, submitted).

The ALMA-ALPINE [CII] survey (A2C2S) aims at characterizing the properties of normal star-forming galaxies (SFGs) observed in the [CII]-158μm line in the period of rapid mass assembly at redshifts 4 < z < 6. Here we present the survey and the selection of 118 galaxies observed with ALMA, selected from large samples of galaxies with spectroscopic redshifts derived from UV-rest frame. The observed properties derived from the ALMA data are presented and discussed in terms of the overall detection rate in [CII] and far-IR continuum. The sample is representative of the SFG population at these redshifts. The overall detection rate is 61% down to a flux limit of 0.07 mJy. From a visual inspection of the [CII] data cubes together with the large wealth of ancillary data we find a surprisingly wide range of galaxy types, including 32.4% mergers, 25.7% extended and dispersion dominated, 13.5% rotating discs, and 16.2% compact, the remaining being too faint to be classified. ALPINE sets a reference sample for the gas distribution in normal star-forming galaxies at a key epoch in galaxy assembly, ideally suited for studies with future facilities like JWST and ELTs.

ISM comprises multiple components, including molecular, neutral, and ionized gas, and dust, which are related to each other mainly through star formation – some are fuel for star formation (molecular gas) while some are the products of it (ionized gas, dust). To fully understand the physics of star formation and its evolution throughout cosmic time, it is crucial to measure and observe different ISM components of galaxies out to high redshifts. I will review the current status of near-IR studies of galaxies during the peak of star formation activity (z ∼ 1 – 3). Using rest-frame optical emission lines, we measure dust, star formation, and gaseous properties of galaxies. JWST will advance such studies by probing lower luminosities and higher redshifts, owing to its significantly higher sensitivity. Incorporating ALMA observations of cold dust and molecular gas at z > 1 will give us a nearly complete picture of the ISM in high-redshift galaxies over a large dynamic range in mass.

We present new constraints on the cosmic cold molecular gas evolution out to redshift 6 based on systematic mining of the public ALMA archive in the COSMOS field (A3 COSMOS). Our A3 COSMOS dataset contains ∼ 700 galaxies (0.3 ≲ z ≲ 6) with high-confidence ALMA detection and multi-wavelength SEDs. Combining with ∼ 1,200 CO-observed galaxies at 0 ≲ z ≲ 4 (75% at z < 0.1) in the literature, we parameterize galaxies’ molecular gas depletion time and gas fraction each as a function of stellar mass, offset from the star-forming main-sequence and cosmic age. We propose a new functional form which provides a better fit and implies a “downsizing” effect and “mass-quenching”. By adopting galaxy stellar mass functions and applying our gas fraction function, we obtain a cosmic cold molecular gas density evolution in agreement with recent CO blind field surveys as well as semi-analytic modeling. These together provide us a coherent picture of galaxy cold molecular gas, SFR and stellar mass evolution.

Determining the shape of the stellar initial mass function (IMF) and whether it is constant or varies in space and time is the Holy Grail of modern astrophysics, with profound implications for all theories of star and galaxy formation. On a theoretical ground, the extreme conditions for star formation (SF) encountered in the most powerful starbursts in the Universe are expected to favour the formation of massive stars. Direct methods of IMF determination, however, cannot probe such systems, because of the severe dust obscuration affecting their starlight. The next best option is to observe CNO bearing molecules in the interstellar medium at millimetre/ submillimetre wavelengths, which, in principle, provides the best indirect evidence for IMF variations. In this contribution, we present our recent findings on this issue. First, we reassess the roles of different types of stars in the production of CNO isotopes. Then, we calibrate a proprietary chemical evolution code using Milky Way data from the literature, and extend it to discuss extragalactic data. We show that, though significant uncertainties still hamper our knowledge of the evolution of CNO isotopes in galaxies, compelling evidence for an IMF skewed towards high-mass stars can be found for galaxy-wide starbursts. In particular, we analyse a sample of submillimetre galaxies observed by us with the Atacama Large Millimetre Array at the peak of the SF activity of the Universe, for which we measure 13C/18O⋍1. This isotope ratio is especially sensitive to IMF variations, and is little affected by observational uncertainties. At the end, ongoing developments of our work are briefly outlined.

The ALMA twenty-six arcmin2 survey of GOODS-S at one millimeter (ASAGAO) is a deep (1σ ∼ 61μJy/beam) and wide area (26 arcmin2) survey on a contiguous field at 1.2 mm. By combining with archival data, we obtained a deeper map in the same region (1σ ∼ 30μJy/beam−1, synthesized beam size 0.59″ × 0.53″), providing the largest sample of sources (25 sources at 5σ, 45 sources at 4.5σ) among ALMA blank-field surveys. The median redshift of the 4.5σ sources is 2.4. The number counts shows that 52% of the extragalactic background light at 1.2 mm is resolved into discrete sources. We create IR luminosity functions (LFs) at z = 1–3, and constrain the faintest luminosity of the LF at 2 < z < 3. The LFs are consistent with previous results based on other ALMA and SCUBA-2 observations, which suggests a positive luminosity evolution and negative density evolution.

We have examined the relationship between star formation and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) by fitting the spectral energy distributions (SED) of AKARI selected galaxies. PAHs are excited by the ultraviolet (UV) photons of young stars and can trace star formation in galaxies, but they are disassociated by the strong UV radiation in starbursts. AKARI covered the mid-infrared, where the PAHs emit their radiation, with a high density of photometric bands. These observations allow us to estimate the star formation rate and the PAH mass fraction of the dust in galaxies. In the future the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will also make measurements in this wavelength range. This research can therefore be considered as a pathfinder to similar studies that will come later from JWST observations.

To sustain star formation rates (SFRs) of hundreds to thousands of solar masses per year over millions of years, a galaxy must efficiently cool its gas. At z ∼ 2, the peak epoch for stellar mass assembly, tracers of gas heating and cooling remain largely unexplored. For one z ∼ 2 starburst galaxy GS IRS20, we present Spitzer IRS spectroscopy of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) emission, and ALMA observations of [C II] 158 μm fine-structure emission which we use to probe ISM heating/cooling. Coupled with an unusually warm dust component, the ratio of [C II] /PAH emission suggests a low photolelectric efficiency, and/or the importance of cooling from other far-IR lines in this galaxy. A low photoelectric efficiency at z ∼ 2 could be key for the peak in the SFR density of the universe by decoupling stellar radiation from ISM gas temperatures.

The first massive galaxies (z ∼ 6) have (1) very high energy density due to their small diameters and extreme luminosities in young stars and (2) interstellar dust relatively deficient in carbon compared with silicates. Both of these attributes should raise their interstellar dust temperatures compared with lower redshift galaxies. Not only is this temperature trend observed, but the high-z spectral energy distributions (SEDs) are very broad due to very warm dust. As a result total infrared luminosities – and star formation rates – at the highest redshifts estimated by fitting blackbodies to submm- and mm-wave observations can be low by a factor of ∼2.

Study of the composition from diverse sources of the Universe helps to us to understand their evolution. Molecular spectroscopy provides detailed information of the observed objects. We present a small study of the starburst NGC 253 with ALMA at 1mm. We detect the prebiotic molecules NH2CHO, and CNCHO. We obtain the integrated intensity maps and abundances of HNCO, CH3OH, H3O+ and CH3C2H. We propose the use of Artificial Intelligence for big data to find prebiotic molecules in galaxies.

Resolved observations of star-forming galaxies at cosmic noon with the Hubble Space Telescope and large ground-based facilities provide a view on the spatial distribution of stars, gas and dust, and probe gaseous motions revealing the central gravitational potential and local feedback processes at play. In this paper, we review recent insights gained from such observations, with an emphasis on results obtained through optical/near-infrared imaging and imaging spectroscopy. Their context and implications are documented more fully in a forthcoming review article by Förster Schreiber & Wuyts (in prep).

While the evolution of spatially-integrated properties of galaxies are relatively well constrained across cosmic time, many of the most fundamental processes are not well understood, especially down to the sub-galactic scales, where frontier questions in galaxy evolution lie: How did galactic spheroids form? How did galaxies and their supermassive black holes co-evolve? With the angular resolution capability of ∼tens of milliarcseconds, ALMA has conferred extinction- independent views of cold gas and dust distributions within individual z ∼ 1 – 4 galaxies at resolutions approaching ∼ 100 pc, thereby opening new avenues to study sub-galactic properties of galaxies at the peak of their assembly. In this talk, I will review recent findings and ongoing challenges enabled by ALMA's extinction-independent, spatially-resolved views of star forming galaxies, particularly the galactic substructures, e.g., clumps (or the lack thereof) from both field and gravitationally-lensed galaxies, and their implications on the bulge assembly scenario. I will also discuss a new synergistic approach between radio and millimeter observations (using, e.g., VLA and ALMA) to independently pinpoint the locations of star-forming region and AGN down to < 100 pc at z ∼ 3. Lastly, I will discuss the planned surveys with JWST in the first year of operation, and ways that the first datasets can be combined with ALMA to provide new breakthroughs and plan future observations to utilize Webb to the fullest.