DETECTION OF THE 158 μm [C II] TRANSITION AT z = 1.3: EVIDENCE FOR A GALAXY-WIDE STARBURST

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Abstract
We report the detection of 158 μm [C II] fine-structure line emission from MIPS J142824.0+352619, a hyperluminous (L IR ~ 1013 L ☉) starburst galaxy at z = 1.3. The line is bright, corresponding to a fraction L [C II]/L FIR ≈ 2 × 10–3 of the far-IR (FIR) continuum. The [C II], CO, and FIR continuum emission may be modeled as arising from photodissociation regions (PDRs) that have a characteristic gas density of n ~ 104.2 cm–3, and that are illuminated by a far-UV radiation field ~103.2 times more intense than the local interstellar radiation field. The mass in these PDRs accounts for approximately half of the molecular gas mass in this galaxy. The L [C II]/L FIR ratio is higher than observed in local ultraluminous infrared galaxies or in the few high-redshift QSOs detected in [C II], but the L [C II]/L FIR and L CO/L FIR ratios are similar to the values seen in nearby starburst galaxies. This suggests that MIPS J142824.0+352619 is a scaled-up version of a starburst nucleus, with the burst extended over several kiloparsecs.
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