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A dust-obscured massive maximum-starburst galaxy at a redshift of 6.34
Dominik A Riechers1, C M Bradford, D L Clements
1California Institute of Technology, 1200 East California Boulevard, MC 249-17, Pasadena, California 91125, USA. dr@astro.cornell.edu
Nature
|April 20, 2013
Summary
Astronomers discovered a massive starburst galaxy at redshift 6.34, indicating intense star formation occurred much earlier in the universe. This finding reveals mature galactic environments existed 880 million years after the Big Bang.
Area of Science:
- Cosmic evolution
- Galaxy formation
- Early universe astrophysics
Background:
- Massive galaxies likely formed stars rapidly in early cosmic epochs.
- The existence of massive starburst progenitors shortly after the Big Bang is unknown.
- Previous observations suggested lower redshifts for dusty starbursts due to selection biases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify massive starburst galaxies at very high redshifts.
- To investigate the existence of mature galactic environments in the early universe.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a submillimetre colour-selection technique to identify candidate galaxies.
- Determined redshift using molecular and atomic fine-structure cooling lines.
- Analyzed the properties of the interstellar medium and star formation rate.
Main Results:
- Identified a massive starburst galaxy at redshift z = 6.34.
- Revealed a galaxy with 100 billion solar masses of excited, chemically evolved interstellar medium.
- Measured a star formation rate over 2,000 times that of the Milky Way.
Conclusions:
- Massive starburst galaxies existed as early as 880 million years after the Big Bang.
- Environments capable of forming intense, massive starbursts were present in the early universe.
- Challenges the notion of a universal downturn in star formation at high redshifts.
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