Probing the Dust-to-Gas Ratio of z > 0 Galaxies through Gravitational Lenses
Abstract
We report the detection of differential gas column densities in three gravitational lenses, MG 0414+0534, HE 1104-1805, and PKS 1830-211. Combined with the previous differential column density and extinction measurements in B1600+434 and Q2237+0305, we probe the dust-to-gas ratio of a small sample of cosmologically distant normal galaxies. We obtain an average dust-to-gas ratio of E(B-V)/NH=(1.4+/-0.5)×10-22 mag cm2 atoms-1, with an estimated intrinsic dispersion in the ratio of ~=40%. This average dust-to-gas ratio is consistent with the average Galactic value of 1.7×10-22 mag cm2 atoms-1, and the estimated intrinsic dispersion is also consistent with the 30% observed in the Galaxy.
- Publication:
-
The Astrophysical Journal
- Pub Date:
- January 2006
- DOI:
- 10.1086/498299
- arXiv:
- arXiv:astro-ph/0507392
- Bibcode:
- 2006ApJ...637...53D
- Keywords:
-
- ISM: Dust;
- Extinction;
- Galaxies: High-Redshift;
- Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- 14 pages, 4 figures, Accepted by ApJ