2025ApJ...988..172H -
Astrophys. J., 988, 172 (2025/August-1)
The Centre of Attention: A Powerful Radio Galaxy Pinpoints a Near-infrared-dark Protocluster at z ∼ 3.9.
HEDGE A.J., SEYMOUR N., BRODERICK J.W., GUPTA A., AFONSO J., IGHINA L., LEHNERT M., NOIROT G., SHABALA S., STERN D. and TURNER R.J.
Abstract (from CDS):
We report the discovery of a z ∼ 3.9 protocluster identified from Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array Band 3 spectral scans of a bright radio source selected from the Galactic and Extragalactic All-sky Murchison Widefield Array (GLEAM) survey. Extended CO(4-3) and [C I] (3P1 → 3P0) line emission was detected in GLEAM J005332-325630 confirming it to be a z = 3.879 powerful radio galaxy with luminosity L_500 MHz_ = 1.3 × 1028 W Hz–1. This source is part of a sample of candidate high-redshift radio galaxies with bright radio fluxes, S_150 MHz_ > 0.1 Jy, but host galaxies with Ks(AB) ≳ 23 mag. The molecular gas associated with the radio galaxy host has two kinematically separate components, likely infalling and indicative of a recent interaction or merger with another galaxy. One 100 GHz continuum source ∼120 pkpc away is found to have both CO(4-3) and [C I] (3P1 → 3P0) emission lines and a further five protocluster members are identified from CO(4-3) emission alone, all at a similar redshift (Δv < 700 km s–1) and within a radius of $1.^{\prime} 1$. Using photometry from the High Acuity Widefield K-band Imager Ks band and the Dark Energy Survey g, r, i, z, and Y bands, we find this protocluster harbours a rare, optically dark, very massive M* ∼ 1012M⊙ galaxy. Comparisons with the TNG300 cosmological simulation puts this galaxy in a dark matter (DM) halo of MDM ∼ 3 × 1013M⊙,which will evolve into a Coma-like DM halo (MDM ∼ 1015M⊙) by the present day.
Abstract Copyright:
© 2025. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society.
Journal keyword(s):
Radio galaxies - Millimeter-wave spectroscopy - Molecular gas - CO line emission - High-redshift galaxy clusters - High-redshift galaxies
Simbad objects:
16
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