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High-redshift star formation in the Atacama large millimetre/submillimetre array era
J A Hodge1, E da Cunha2,3,4
1Leiden Observatory, Leiden University, PO Box 9513, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands.
Royal Society Open Science
|January 25, 2021
Summary
The Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array (ALMA) has revolutionized the study of distant star-forming galaxies. Its advanced capabilities provide unprecedented insights into dust-obscured star formation and gas reservoirs in the early universe.
Area of Science:
- Astronomy and Astrophysics
- Cosmic Evolution
- Galaxy Formation and Evolution
Background:
- Previous studies of distant, dust-obscured star formation were limited to bright submillimetre galaxies (SMGs) and lacked detailed resolution.
- Information on gas reservoirs and star formation in these early galaxies was sparse, often restricted to extreme or lensed sources.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the significant advancements in understanding high-redshift star-forming galaxies enabled by the Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array (ALMA) over its first nine years of operation.
- To highlight key questions regarding galaxy evolution that ALMA is poised to address in the future.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing ALMA's long baselines for high-angular resolution observations of distant, dust-obscured star formation.
- Leveraging ALMA's bandwidth and frequency coverage for detailed studies of molecular and atomic gas.
- Employing ALMA's enhanced sensitivity to detect fainter dust and gas tracers in high-redshift galaxies.
Main Results:
- ALMA has provided resolutions comparable to or exceeding optical telescopes for distant star formation studies.
- Unprecedented data on molecular and atomic gas associated with high-redshift galaxies have been obtained.
- ALMA's sensitivity has enabled deeper probes into galaxy populations, extending luminosity functions.
Conclusions:
- ALMA has fundamentally transformed the study of high-redshift star-forming galaxies, offering detailed insights into their dust and gas properties.
- Future ALMA observations promise to answer critical questions about the early universe and galaxy evolution.
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