ALMA Detections of CO Emission in the Most Luminous, Heavily Dust-obscured Quasars at z > 3
Abstract
We report the results of a pilot study of CO(4 - 3) emission line of three Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)-selected hyper-luminous, dust-obscured quasars (QSOs) with sensitive ALMA Band 3 observations. These obscured QSOs with L bol > 1014 L ⊙ are among the most luminous objects in the universe. All three QSO hosts are clearly detected both in continuum and in CO(4 - 3) emission line. Based on CO(4 - 3) emission line detection, we derive the molecular gas masses (∼1010-11 M ⊙), suggesting that these QSOs are gas-rich systems. We find that the obscured QSOs in our sample follow the similar {L}CO}{\prime }{--}{L}FIR} relation as unobscured QSOs at high redshifts. We also find the complex velocity structures of CO(4 - 3) emission line, which provide the possible evidence for a gas-rich merger in W0149+2350 and possible molecular outflow in W0220+0137 and W0410-0913. Massive molecular outflow can blow away the obscured interstellar medium and make obscured QSOs evolve toward the UV/optical bright, unobscured phase. Our result is consistent with the popular active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback scenario involving the co-evolution between the supermassive black holes and host galaxy.
- Publication:
-
The Astrophysical Journal
- Pub Date:
- March 2018
- DOI:
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1711.10615
- Bibcode:
- 2018ApJ...856L...5F
- Keywords:
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- galaxies: active;
- galaxies: evolution;
- galaxies: high-redshift;
- galaxies: interactions;
- quasars: general;
- Astrophysics - Astrophysics of Galaxies
- E-Print:
- 3 figures, 2 tables