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In situ spheroid formation in distant submillimetre-bright galaxies

Author

Listed:
  • Qing-Hua Tan

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences
    Université Paris-Saclay, Université Paris Cité, CEA, CNRS, AIM)

  • Emanuele Daddi

    (Université Paris-Saclay, Université Paris Cité, CEA, CNRS, AIM)

  • Benjamin Magnelli

    (Université Paris-Saclay, Université Paris Cité, CEA, CNRS, AIM)

  • Camila A. Correa

    (Université Paris-Saclay, Université Paris Cité, CEA, CNRS, AIM)

  • Frédéric Bournaud

    (Université Paris-Saclay, Université Paris Cité, CEA, CNRS, AIM)

  • Sylvia Adscheid

    (Universität Bonn)

  • Shao-Bo Zhang

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • David Elbaz

    (Université Paris-Saclay, Université Paris Cité, CEA, CNRS, AIM)

  • Carlos Gómez-Guijarro

    (Université Paris-Saclay, Université Paris Cité, CEA, CNRS, AIM)

  • Boris S. Kalita

    (The University of Tokyo
    The University of Tokyo
    Peking University)

  • Daizhong Liu

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Zhaoxuan Liu

    (The University of Tokyo
    The University of Tokyo
    The University of Tokyo)

  • Jérôme Pety

    (Institut de Radioastronomie Millimétrique
    LERMA, Observatoire de Paris, PSL Research University, CNRS, Sorbonne Universités)

  • Annagrazia Puglisi

    (University of Southampton
    Durham University)

  • Eva Schinnerer

    (Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie)

  • John D. Silverman

    (The University of Tokyo
    The University of Tokyo
    The University of Tokyo
    Johns Hopkins University)

  • Francesco Valentino

    (European Southern Observatory
    Cosmic Dawn Center (DAWN))

Abstract

Most stars in today’s Universe reside within spheroids, which are bulges of spiral galaxies and elliptical galaxies1,2. Their formation is still an unsolved problem3–5. Infrared/submillimetre-bright galaxies at high redshifts6 have long been suspected to be related to spheroid formation7–12. Proving this connection has been hampered so far by heavy dust obscuration when focusing on their stellar emission13–15 or by methodologies and limited signal-to-noise ratios when looking at submillimetre wavelengths16,17. Here we show that spheroids are directly generated by star formation within the cores of highly luminous starburst galaxies in the distant Universe. This follows from the ALMA submillimetre surface brightness profiles, which deviate substantially from those of exponential disks, and from the skewed-high axis-ratio distribution. Most of these galaxies are fully triaxial rather than flat disks: the ratio of the shortest to the longest of their three axes is half, on average, and increases with spatial compactness. These observations, supported by simulations, reveal a cosmologically relevant pathway for in situ spheroid formation through starbursts that is probably preferentially triggered by interactions (and mergers) acting on galaxies fed by non-coplanar gas accretion streams.

Suggested Citation

  • Qing-Hua Tan & Emanuele Daddi & Benjamin Magnelli & Camila A. Correa & Frédéric Bournaud & Sylvia Adscheid & Shao-Bo Zhang & David Elbaz & Carlos Gómez-Guijarro & Boris S. Kalita & Daizhong Liu & Zhao, 2024. "In situ spheroid formation in distant submillimetre-bright galaxies," Nature, Nature, vol. 636(8041), pages 69-74, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:636:y:2024:i:8041:d:10.1038_s41586-024-08201-6
    DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-08201-6
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