Abstract
In the past decade, our understanding of galaxy evolution has been revolutionized by the discovery that luminous, dusty starburst galaxies were 1,000 times more abundant in the early Universe than at present1,2. It has, however, been difficult to measure the complete redshift distribution of these objects, especially at the highest redshifts (z > 4). Here we report a redshift survey at a wavelength of three millimetres, targeting carbon monoxide line emission from the star-forming molecular gas in the direction of extraordinarily bright millimetre-wave-selected sources. High-resolution imaging demonstrates that these sources are strongly gravitationally lensed by foreground galaxies. We detect spectral lines in 23 out of 26 sources and multiple lines in 12 of those 23 sources, from which we obtain robust, unambiguous redshifts. At least 10 of the sources are found to lie at z > 4, indicating that the fraction of dusty starburst galaxies at high redshifts is greater than previously thought. Models of lens geometries in the sample indicate that the background objects are ultra-luminous infrared galaxies, powered by extreme bursts of star formation.
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Acknowledgements
The SPT is supported by the National Science Foundation, the Kavli Foundation and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. ALMA is a partnership of ESO (representing its member states), NSF (USA) and NINS (Japan), together with NRC (Canada) and NSC and ASIAA (Taiwan), in cooperation with Chile. The Joint ALMA Observatory is operated by ESO, AUI/NRAO and NAOJ. The National Radio Astronomy Observatory is a facility of the NSF operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc. Partial support for this work was provided by NASA from the Space Telescope Science Institute. This work is based in part on observations made with Herschel, a European Space Agency Cornerstone Mission with significant participation by NASA. Work at McGill University is supported by NSERC, the CRC programme and CIfAR.
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J.D.V. and D.P.M. wrote the text. S.C.C. took and reduced optical images and spectroscopy. A.W., C.D.B. and D.P.M. analysed the ALMA spectra. D.P.M., J.S.S. and Y.D.H. analysed the ALMA imaging data. J.D.V. reduced and analysed the Herschel data. Y.D.H. constructed the lens models. C.D.F. reduced optical images. All other authors (listed alphabetically) have contributed as part of the South Pole Telescope collaboration, by their involvement with the construction of the instrument, the initial discovery of the sources, multi-wavelength follow-up, and/or contributions to the text.
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Vieira, J., Marrone, D., Chapman, S. et al. Dusty starburst galaxies in the early Universe as revealed by gravitational lensing. Nature 495, 344–347 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12001
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12001
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Robert Campbell
The year before he died Einstein wrote in a letter to a friend, quote: ?I consider it quite possible that physics cannot be based on the field concept, that is, on continuous structures. Then nothing remains of my entire castle in the sky, including the theory of gravitation, but also nothing of the rest of modern physics.? The only alternative is a discontinuous universe where atoms everywhere are synchronously projected as independent particles from timeless and formless quantum energy equivalents that collectively constitute a boundless energy field called the Void. Each successive projection is a still frame in a synchronous cosmic movie where light is the only action. This defines the spherical inner space of each primary hydrogen atom with respect to the distance light can transmit is a single projected still frame. This is consistent with the universality of light speed, with zero angular momentum in the first hydrogen orbit, with the conjugate wave function, and with the Planck universal quantum of action. Light comes to us as a series of quantum pulses that define space and time with respect to each atom. Matter is both a wave and a particle at the same time because the Void is timeless. It spans and integrates history. A quantum relativity emerges naturally due to non-synchronicity associated with relative motions. The Lorentz transformations are readily apparent for both special and general relativity from a method of Historic Integration. In this view the red shift can be associated with great distance alone. Over great spans of time distant events are contracted in such a way to explain a higher concentration of starburst galaxies, the huge energies of quasars and a variety of other effects. See the following three links: Quantum relativity also Atomic structure and Cosmology .