The rapid assembly of an elliptical galaxy of 400 billion solar masses at a redshift of 2.3

Hai Fu; Asantha Cooray; C. Feruglio; R. J. Ivison; D. A. Riechers; M. Gurwell; R. S. Bussmann; A. I. Harris; B. Altieri; H. Aussel; A. J. Baker; J. Bock; M. Boylan-Kolchin; C. Bridge; J. A. Calanog; C. M. Casey; A. Cava; S. C. Chapman; D. L. Clements; A. Conley; P. Cox; D. Farrah; D. Frayer; R. Hopwood; J. Jia; G. Magdis; G. Marsden; P. Martínez-Navajas; M. Negrello; R. Neri; S. J. Oliver; A. Omont; M. J. Page; I. Pérez-Fournon; B. Schulz; D. Scott; A. Smith; M. Vaccari; I. Valtchanov; J. D. Vieira; M. Viero; L. Wang; J. L. Wardlow; M. Zemcov

doi:10.1038/nature12184

The rapid assembly of an elliptical galaxy of 400 billion solar masses at a redshift of 2.3

Hai Fu
, Asantha Cooray
, C. Feruglio
, R. J. Ivison
, D. A. Riechers
, M. Gurwell
, R. S. Bussmann
, A. I. Harris
, B. Altieri
, H. Aussel
, A. J. Baker
, J. Bock
, M. Boylan-Kolchin
, C. Bridge
, J. A. Calanog
, C. M. Casey
, A. Cava
, S. C. Chapman
, D. L. Clements
, A. Conley

P. Cox, D. Farrah, D. Frayer, R. Hopwood, J. Jia, G. Magdis, G. Marsden, P. Martínez-Navajas, M. Negrello, R. Neri, S. J. Oliver, A. Omont, M. J. Page, I. Pérez-Fournon, B. Schulz, D. Scott, A. Smith, M. Vaccari, I. Valtchanov, J. D. Vieira, M. Viero, L. Wang, J. L. Wardlow, M. Zemcov

Chemistry

University of California at Irvine
Institut de radioastronomie millimétrique
Royal Observatory
Cornell University
Harvard-Smithsonian Ctr. Astrophys.
University of Maryland, College Park
ESAC
Université Paris VII
Rutgers - The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology
University of Hawai'i at Mānoa
Complutense University
Dalhousie University
Imperial College London
University of Colorado Boulder
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO)
University of Oxford
University of British Columbia
Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias
University of La Laguna
Astronomical Observatory of Padua
University of Sussex
Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris
University College London
University of the Western Cape

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

127 Scopus citations

Abstract

Stellar archaeology shows that massive elliptical galaxies formed rapidly about ten billion years ago with star-formation rates of above several hundred solar masses per year. Their progenitors are probably the submillimetre bright galaxies at redshifts z greater than 2. Although the mean molecular gas mass (5 × 10 10 solar masses) of the submillimetre bright galaxies can explain the formation of typical elliptical galaxies, it is inadequate to form elliptical galaxies that already have stellar masses above 2 × 10 11 solar masses at z ≈ 2. Here we report multi-wavelength high-resolution observations of a rare merger of two massive submillimetre bright galaxies at z = 2.3. The system is seen to be forming stars at a rate of 2,000 solar masses per year. The star-formation efficiency is an order of magnitude greater than that of normal galaxies, so the gas reservoir will be exhausted and star formation will be quenched in only around 200 million years. At a projected separation of 19 kiloparsecs, the two massive starbursts are about to merge and form a passive elliptical galaxy with a stellar mass of about 4 × 10 11 solar masses. We conclude that gas-rich major galaxy mergers with intense star formation can form the most massive elliptical galaxies by z ≈ 1.5.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	338-341
Number of pages	4
Journal	Nature
Volume	498
Issue number	7454
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12184
State	Published - 2013

Access to Document

10.1038/nature12184

Cite this

Fu, H., Cooray, A., Feruglio, C., Ivison, R. J., Riechers, D. A., Gurwell, M., Bussmann, R. S., Harris, A. I., Altieri, B., Aussel, H., Baker, A. J., Bock, J., Boylan-Kolchin, M., Bridge, C., Calanog, J. A., Casey, C. M., Cava, A., Chapman, S. C., Clements, D. L., ... Zemcov, M. (2013). The rapid assembly of an elliptical galaxy of 400 billion solar masses at a redshift of 2.3. Nature, 498(7454), 338-341. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12184

@article{c305674bec834121ba12a9475baf0612,

title = "The rapid assembly of an elliptical galaxy of 400 billion solar masses at a redshift of 2.3",

abstract = "Stellar archaeology shows that massive elliptical galaxies formed rapidly about ten billion years ago with star-formation rates of above several hundred solar masses per year. Their progenitors are probably the submillimetre bright galaxies at redshifts z greater than 2. Although the mean molecular gas mass (5 × 10 10 solar masses) of the submillimetre bright galaxies can explain the formation of typical elliptical galaxies, it is inadequate to form elliptical galaxies that already have stellar masses above 2 × 10 11 solar masses at z ≈ 2. Here we report multi-wavelength high-resolution observations of a rare merger of two massive submillimetre bright galaxies at z = 2.3. The system is seen to be forming stars at a rate of 2,000 solar masses per year. The star-formation efficiency is an order of magnitude greater than that of normal galaxies, so the gas reservoir will be exhausted and star formation will be quenched in only around 200 million years. At a projected separation of 19 kiloparsecs, the two massive starbursts are about to merge and form a passive elliptical galaxy with a stellar mass of about 4 × 10 11 solar masses. We conclude that gas-rich major galaxy mergers with intense star formation can form the most massive elliptical galaxies by z ≈ 1.5.",

author = "Hai Fu and Asantha Cooray and C. Feruglio and Ivison, \{R. J.\} and Riechers, \{D. A.\} and M. Gurwell and Bussmann, \{R. S.\} and Harris, \{A. I.\} and B. Altieri and H. Aussel and Baker, \{A. J.\} and J. Bock and M. Boylan-Kolchin and C. Bridge and Calanog, \{J. A.\} and Casey, \{C. M.\} and A. Cava and Chapman, \{S. C.\} and Clements, \{D. L.\} and A. Conley and P. Cox and D. Farrah and D. Frayer and R. Hopwood and J. Jia and G. Magdis and G. Marsden and P. Mart{\'i}nez-Navajas and M. Negrello and R. Neri and Oliver, \{S. J.\} and A. Omont and Page, \{M. J.\} and I. P{\'e}rez-Fournon and B. Schulz and D. Scott and A. Smith and M. Vaccari and I. Valtchanov and Vieira, \{J. D.\} and M. Viero and L. Wang and Wardlow, \{J. L.\} and M. Zemcov",

year = "2013",

doi = "10.1038/nature12184",

language = "English",

volume = "498",

pages = "338--341",

journal = "Nature",

issn = "0028-0836",

number = "7454",

}

Fu, H, Cooray, A, Feruglio, C, Ivison, RJ, Riechers, DA, Gurwell, M, Bussmann, RS, Harris, AI, Altieri, B, Aussel, H, Baker, AJ, Bock, J, Boylan-Kolchin, M, Bridge, C, Calanog, JA, Casey, CM, Cava, A, Chapman, SC, Clements, DL, Conley, A, Cox, P, Farrah, D, Frayer, D, Hopwood, R, Jia, J, Magdis, G, Marsden, G, Martínez-Navajas, P, Negrello, M, Neri, R, Oliver, SJ, Omont, A, Page, MJ, Pérez-Fournon, I, Schulz, B, Scott, D, Smith, A, Vaccari, M, Valtchanov, I, Vieira, JD, Viero, M, Wang, L, Wardlow, JL & Zemcov, M 2013, 'The rapid assembly of an elliptical galaxy of 400 billion solar masses at a redshift of 2.3', Nature, vol. 498, no. 7454, pp. 338-341. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12184

TY - JOUR

T1 - The rapid assembly of an elliptical galaxy of 400 billion solar masses at a redshift of 2.3

AU - Fu, Hai

AU - Cooray, Asantha

AU - Feruglio, C.

AU - Ivison, R. J.

AU - Riechers, D. A.

AU - Gurwell, M.

AU - Bussmann, R. S.

AU - Harris, A. I.

AU - Altieri, B.

AU - Aussel, H.

AU - Baker, A. J.

AU - Bock, J.

AU - Boylan-Kolchin, M.

AU - Bridge, C.

AU - Calanog, J. A.

AU - Casey, C. M.

AU - Cava, A.

AU - Chapman, S. C.

AU - Clements, D. L.

AU - Conley, A.

AU - Cox, P.

AU - Farrah, D.

AU - Frayer, D.

AU - Hopwood, R.

AU - Jia, J.

AU - Magdis, G.

AU - Marsden, G.

AU - Martínez-Navajas, P.

AU - Negrello, M.

AU - Neri, R.

AU - Oliver, S. J.

AU - Omont, A.

AU - Page, M. J.

AU - Pérez-Fournon, I.

AU - Schulz, B.

AU - Scott, D.

AU - Smith, A.

AU - Vaccari, M.

AU - Valtchanov, I.

AU - Vieira, J. D.

AU - Viero, M.

AU - Wang, L.

AU - Wardlow, J. L.

AU - Zemcov, M.

PY - 2013

Y1 - 2013

N2 - Stellar archaeology shows that massive elliptical galaxies formed rapidly about ten billion years ago with star-formation rates of above several hundred solar masses per year. Their progenitors are probably the submillimetre bright galaxies at redshifts z greater than 2. Although the mean molecular gas mass (5 × 10 10 solar masses) of the submillimetre bright galaxies can explain the formation of typical elliptical galaxies, it is inadequate to form elliptical galaxies that already have stellar masses above 2 × 10 11 solar masses at z ≈ 2. Here we report multi-wavelength high-resolution observations of a rare merger of two massive submillimetre bright galaxies at z = 2.3. The system is seen to be forming stars at a rate of 2,000 solar masses per year. The star-formation efficiency is an order of magnitude greater than that of normal galaxies, so the gas reservoir will be exhausted and star formation will be quenched in only around 200 million years. At a projected separation of 19 kiloparsecs, the two massive starbursts are about to merge and form a passive elliptical galaxy with a stellar mass of about 4 × 10 11 solar masses. We conclude that gas-rich major galaxy mergers with intense star formation can form the most massive elliptical galaxies by z ≈ 1.5.

AB - Stellar archaeology shows that massive elliptical galaxies formed rapidly about ten billion years ago with star-formation rates of above several hundred solar masses per year. Their progenitors are probably the submillimetre bright galaxies at redshifts z greater than 2. Although the mean molecular gas mass (5 × 10 10 solar masses) of the submillimetre bright galaxies can explain the formation of typical elliptical galaxies, it is inadequate to form elliptical galaxies that already have stellar masses above 2 × 10 11 solar masses at z ≈ 2. Here we report multi-wavelength high-resolution observations of a rare merger of two massive submillimetre bright galaxies at z = 2.3. The system is seen to be forming stars at a rate of 2,000 solar masses per year. The star-formation efficiency is an order of magnitude greater than that of normal galaxies, so the gas reservoir will be exhausted and star formation will be quenched in only around 200 million years. At a projected separation of 19 kiloparsecs, the two massive starbursts are about to merge and form a passive elliptical galaxy with a stellar mass of about 4 × 10 11 solar masses. We conclude that gas-rich major galaxy mergers with intense star formation can form the most massive elliptical galaxies by z ≈ 1.5.

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/84879463817

U2 - 10.1038/nature12184

DO - 10.1038/nature12184

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:84879463817

SN - 0028-0836

VL - 498

SP - 338

EP - 341

JO - Nature

JF - Nature

IS - 7454

ER -

The rapid assembly of an elliptical galaxy of 400 billion solar masses at a redshift of 2.3

Abstract

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this