Charting molecular gas through cosmological time: Present results and future directions

Garrett K. Keating, Geoffrey C. Bower, David R. Deboer, Daniel Marrone

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

Molecular gas, observed through tracers such as CO rotational transitions, is a vital component of galactic evolution and star formation. Recent detections of the CO molecule in massive galaxies at redshifts as high as z = 6:42 have demonstrated its existence in the early Universe, and have motivated its use as a means of exploring large-scale structure and as a probe of galaxy evolution in the early Universe. But many questions about molecular gas and the evolution of galaxies in the early Universe still remain: its distribution at high redshift understood is so poorly that theoretical models of the mean abundance of CO for z ≥ 2 span orders of magnitude. Direct detection of molecular gas in galaxies at these redshifts (with instruments like the VLA) have only found the largest and most luminous of galaxies at these redshifts (typically containing 1010Mo of molecular gas and star formation rates of 100Moyr-1), whereas the bulk of the molecular gas is expected to be in the unseen masses of smaller galaxies (Mgas ∼ 108Mo; SFR ∼ 1Mo yr-1). While difficult to detect individually, these smaller galaxies are likely detectable as an integrated ensemble with the technique of 'intensity mapping'. This technique, similar to those employed by HI epoch of reionization experiments, utilizes measurements of different 3D Fourier modes to construct a power spectrum.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publication2014 United States National Committee of URSI National Radio Science Meeting, USNC-URSI NRSM 2014
PublisherInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
ISBN (Electronic)9781479931200
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 16 2014
Event2014 United States National Committee of URSI National Radio Science Meeting, USNC-URSI NRSM 2014 - Boulder, United States
Duration: Jan 8 2014Jan 11 2014

Publication series

Name2014 United States National Committee of URSI National Radio Science Meeting, USNC-URSI NRSM 2014

Other

Other2014 United States National Committee of URSI National Radio Science Meeting, USNC-URSI NRSM 2014
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityBoulder
Period1/8/141/11/14

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering
  • Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials

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