广泛的恒星形成所揭示的星系团椭圆星系的形成。

The formation of cluster elliptical galaxies as revealed by extensive star formation.

作者信息

Stevens J A, Ivison R J, Dunlop J S, Smail Ian R, Percival W J, Hughes D H, Röttgering H J A, Van Breugel W J M, Reuland M

机构信息

Astronomy Technology Centre, Royal Observatory, University of Edinburgh, Blackford Hill, Edinburgh, EH9 3HJ, UK.

出版信息

Nature. 2003 Sep 18;425(6955):264-7. doi: 10.1038/nature01976.

DOI:10.1038/nature01976

PMID:13679908

Abstract

The most massive galaxies in the present-day Universe are found to lie in the centres of rich clusters. They have old, coeval stellar populations suggesting that the bulk of their stars must have formed at early epochs in spectacular starbursts, which should be luminous phenomena when observed at submillimetre wavelengths. The most popular model of galaxy formation predicts that these galaxies form in proto-clusters at high-density peaks in the early Universe. Such peaks are indicated by massive high-redshift radio galaxies. Here we report deep submillimetre mapping of seven high-redshift radio galaxies and their environments. These data confirm not only the presence of spatially extended regions of massive star-formation activity in the radio galaxies themselves, but also in companion objects previously undetected at any wavelength. The prevalence, orientation, and inferred masses of these submillimetre companion galaxies suggest that we are witnessing the synchronous formation of the most luminous elliptical galaxies found today at the centres of rich clusters of galaxies.

摘要

人们发现，当今宇宙中质量最大的星系位于丰富星系团的中心。它们拥有古老、同时期的恒星群体，这表明其大部分恒星必定是在早期以壮观的星暴形式形成的，而在亚毫米波长下观测时，这些星暴应该是发光现象。最流行的星系形成模型预测，这些星系是在早期宇宙中高密度峰值处的原星系团中形成的。这种峰值由大质量的高红移射电星系指示。在此，我们报告了对七个高红移射电星系及其周围环境的深度亚毫米波段测绘。这些数据不仅证实了射电星系自身存在大规模恒星形成活动的空间扩展区域，还证实了在之前任何波长下都未被探测到的伴星天体中也存在此类区域。这些亚毫米伴星系的普遍程度、方位以及推断出的质量表明，我们正在见证当今在丰富星系团中心发现的最亮椭圆星系的同步形成过程。