2017ApJ...844..110R

We present C i(2-1) and multi-transition ¹²CO observations of a dusty star-forming galaxy, ACT J2029+0120, which we spectroscopically confirm to lie at z = 2.64. We detect CO(3-2), CO(5-4), CO(7-6), CO(8-7), and C i(2-1) at high significance, tentatively detect HCO⁺(4-3), and place strong upper limits on the integrated strength of dense gas tracers (HCN(4-3) and CS(7-6)). Multi-transition CO observations and dense gas tracers can provide valuable constraints on the molecular gas content and excitation conditions in high-redshift galaxies. We therefore use this unique data set to construct a CO spectral line energy distribution (SLED) of the source, which is most consistent with that of a ULIRG/Seyfert or QSO host object in the taxonomy of the Herschel Comprehensive ULIRG Emission Survey. We employ RADEX models to fit the peak of the CO SLED, inferring a temperature of T ∼ 117 K and n_H2_∼10⁵ cm^–3, most consistent with a ULIRG/QSO object and the presence of high-density tracers. We also find that the velocity width of the C i line is potentially larger than seen in all CO transitions for this object, and that the L_C i(2–1)^′^/LCO(3-2)_^′^ ratio is also larger than seen in other lensed and unlensed submillimeter galaxies and QSO hosts; if confirmed, this anomaly could be an effect of differential lensing of a shocked molecular outflow.