A high-redshift IRAS galaxy with huge luminosity - Hidden quasar or protogalaxy?

An emission line galaxy with the enormous far-IR luminosity of 3 x 10 to the 14th solar has been found at z = 2.286. The spectrum is very unusual, showing lines of high excitation but with very weak Lyman-alpha emission. A self-absorbed synchrotron model for the IR energy distribution cannot be rule...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature (London) 1991-06, Vol.351 (6329), p.719-721
Main Authors: Rowan-Robinson, M., Broadhurst, T., Oliver, S. J., Taylor, A. N., Lawrence, A., Mcmahon, R. G., Lonsdale, C. J., Hacking, P. B., Conrow, T.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Astronomy
Astrophysics
Earth, ocean, space
Exact sciences and technology
Quasars
Quasars. Active or peculiar galaxies, objects, and systems
Stars & galaxies
Stellar systems. Galactic and extragalactic objects and systems. The universe
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:An emission line galaxy with the enormous far-IR luminosity of 3 x 10 to the 14th solar has been found at z = 2.286. The spectrum is very unusual, showing lines of high excitation but with very weak Lyman-alpha emission. A self-absorbed synchrotron model for the IR energy distribution cannot be ruled out, but a thermal origin seems more plausible. A radio-quiet quasar embedded in a very dusty galaxy could account for the IR emission, as might a starburst embedded in 1-10 billion solar masses of dust. The latter case demands so much dust that the object would probably be a massive galaxy in the process of formation. The presence of a large amount of dust in an object of such high redshift implies the generation of heavy elements at an early cosmological epoch.
ISSN:0028-0836
1476-4687
DOI:10.1038/351719a0