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First Detections of the [N II] 122 micron Line at High Redshift: Demonstrating the Utility of the Line for Studying Galaxies in the Early UniverseWe report the first detections of the [N II] 122 micron line from a high-redshift galaxy. The line was strongly (>6(sigma)) detected from SMMJ02399-0136, and H1413 + 117 (the Cloverleaf QSO) using the Redshift (zeta) and Early Universe Spectrometer on the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory. The lines from both sources are quite bright with line to far-infrared (FIR) continuum luminosity ratios that are approx.7.0 x 10(exp -4) (Cloverleaf) and 2.1 x 10(exo -3) (SMMJ02399). With ratios 2-10 times larger than the average value for nearby galaxies, neither source exhibits the line to continuum deficits seen in nearby sources. The line strengths also indicate large ionized gas fractions, approx.8%-17% of the molecUlar gas mass. The [O III]/[N II] line ratio is very sensitive to the effective temperature of ionizing stars and the ionization parameter for emission arising in the narrow-line region (NLR) of an active galactic nucleus (AGN). Using Our previous detection of the [O III] 88 micron line, the [O III]/[N II]line ratio for SMMJ02399-0136 indicates that the dominant source of the line emission is either stellar H II regions ionized by O9.5 stars, or the NLR of the AGN with ionization parameter log(U) = -3.3 to -4.0. A composite system, where 30%-50% of the FIR lines arise in the NLR also matches the data. The Cloverleaf is best modeled by a superposition of approx.200 M82-like starbursts accounting for all of the FIR emission and 43% of the [N II]line. The remainder may come from the NLR. This war!< demonstrates the utility of the [N II] and [O III] lines in constraining properties of the ionized medium.
Document ID
20120010661
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Ferkinhoff, Carl
(Cornell Univ. Ithaca, NY, United States)
Brisbin, Drew
(Cornell Univ. Ithaca, NY, United States)
Nikola, Thomas
(Cornell Univ. Ithaca, NY, United States)
Parshley, Stephen C.
(Cornell Univ. Ithaca, NY, United States)
Stacey, Gordon J.
(Cornell Univ. Ithaca, NY, United States)
Phillips, Thomas G.
(California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Falgarone, Edith
(Observatoire de Paris France)
Benford, Dominic J.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Staguhn, Johannes G.
(Johns Hopkins Univ. Baltimore, MD, United States)
Tucker, Carol E.
(Cardiff Univ. United Kingdom)
Date Acquired
August 26, 2013
Publication Date
October 10, 2011
Publication Information
Publication: The Astrophysical Journal Letters
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Volume: 740
Issue: 1
Subject Category
Astrophysics
Report/Patent Number
GSFC.JA.00460.2012
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: AST-00736289
CONTRACT_GRANT: NNX10AM09H
CONTRACT_GRANT: AST-0722220
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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