Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2006-06-15
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
14 pages. Accepted for publication in MNRAS
Scientific paper
We present two-dimensional spectroscopy covering the rest-frame wavelengths of strong optical emission lines in six luminous submillimetre galaxies at z=1.3--2.5. Together with HST ACS and NICMOS imaging we map the dynamics and morphologies of these systems on scales from 4--11kpc. Four of the systems show multiple components in their spatially-resolved spectra with average velocity offsets of ~180km/s across 8kpc in projection. From the ensemble properties from our survey and the literature, we estimate the typical dynamical masses of bright sub-mm galaxies as (5+/-3) x10^{11}Mo. This is similar to recent estimates of their stellar masses -- suggesting that the dynamics of the central regions of these galaxies are baryon dominated, with a substantial fraction of those baryons in stars by the epoch of observation. Combining our dynamical mass estimates with stellar luminosities for this population we investigate whether submillimetre galaxies can evolve onto the Faber-Jackson relation for local ellipticals. Adopting a typical lifetime of tau_{burst}~300Myr for the submillimetre-luminous phase we find that the stellar populations of sub-mm galaxies should fade to place them on the Faber-Jackson relation, at M_K ~ -25.1. Furthermore, using the same starburst lifetime we correct the observed space density of submillimetre galaxies for the duty cycle to derive a volume density of the progenitors of ~1x10^{-4} Mpc^{-3}. This is consistent with the space density of local luminous early-type galaxies with M_K ~ -25.1, indicating that submillimetre galaxies can evolve onto the scaling relations observed for local early-type galaxies, and the observed population at z~2 is then sufficient to account for the formation of the whole population of >~3 L^{*} ellipticals seen at z~0.
Blain Andrew
Borys Colin
Chapman ; Scott
Ivison Rob
Lewis Geraint
No associations
LandOfFree
The Link between Submillimetre Galaxies and Luminous Ellipticals: Near-Infrared IFU Spectroscopy of Submillimetre Galaxies does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with The Link between Submillimetre Galaxies and Luminous Ellipticals: Near-Infrared IFU Spectroscopy of Submillimetre Galaxies, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and The Link between Submillimetre Galaxies and Luminous Ellipticals: Near-Infrared IFU Spectroscopy of Submillimetre Galaxies will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-605971