NOEMA <sup>3D</sup> : A first kiloparsec resolution study of a <i>z</i>  ∼ 1.5 main sequence barred galaxy channeling gas into a growing bulge

We present a very deep CO(3–2) observation of a massive, gas-rich, main sequence, barred spiral galaxy at z ≈ 1.52. Our data were taken with the IRAM-NOEMA interferometer for a 12-antenna equivalent on-source integration time of ∼50 hours. We fit the major axis kinematics with the forward modeling of a rotating disk and subtracted the two-dimensional beam convolved best-fit model, which revealed signatures of planar noncircular motions in the residuals. The inferred in-plane radial velocities are remarkably high, of the order of ≈60 km/s. Direct comparisons with a high-resolution, simulated, gas-rich, barred galaxy, obtained with the moving mesh code AREPO and the TNG sub-grid model, show that the observed noncircular gas flows can be explained as radial flows driven by the central bar, with an inferred net inflow rate of the order of the star formation rate (SFR). Given the recent evidence for a higher-than-expected fraction of barred disk galaxies at cosmic noon, our results suggest that rapid gas inflows due to bars could be important evolutionary drivers for the dominant population of star-forming galaxies at the peak epoch of star and galaxy formation.

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Journal
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Published
2025-10-28
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202555430
Citations
1
Primary Topic
Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena
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article
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1.15
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article

NOEMA 3D : A first kiloparsec resolution study of a z  ∼ 1.5 main sequence barred galaxy channeling gas into a growing bulge

Jean-Baptiste Jolly, Thorsten Naab, S. García‐Burillo, R. Davies et al.
1 citations
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena
1.15
article

NOEMA 3D : A first kiloparsec resolution study of a z  ∼ 1.5 main sequence barred galaxy channeling gas into a growing bulge

Jean-Baptiste Jolly, Thorsten Naab, S. García‐Burillo, R. Davies, R. Genzel, C. Pulsoni, Rodrigo Herrera-Camus, K. Schüster, Lilian L. Lee, D. Lutz, E. Sturm, Thomas Shimizu, Stijn Wuyts, Hannah Übler, Stavros Pastras, Françoise Combes, A. Sternberg, Capucine Barfety, Andreas Burkert, Amit Nestor Shachar, Juan Espejo Salcedo, Sedona H. Price, Daizhong Liu, L. J. Tacconi, N. M. Förster Schreiber, Eleonora Parlanti, Letizia Scaloni, Minju Lee, Jianhang Chen, Yixian Cao, Giulia Tozzi, Alvio Renzini, Volker Springel, Frank Eisenhauer, R. Neri
article en
1 citations

Abstract

We present a very deep CO(3–2) observation of a massive, gas-rich, main sequence, barred spiral galaxy at z ≈ 1.52. Our data were taken with the IRAM-NOEMA interferometer for a 12-antenna equivalent on-source integration time of ∼50 hours. We fit the major axis kinematics with the forward modeling of a rotating disk and subtracted the two-dimensional beam convolved best-fit model, which revealed signatures of planar noncircular motions in the residuals. The inferred in-plane radial velocities are remarkably high, of the order of ≈60 km/s. Direct comparisons with a high-resolution, simulated, gas-rich, barred galaxy, obtained with the moving mesh code AREPO and the TNG sub-grid model, show that the observed noncircular gas flows can be explained as radial flows driven by the central bar, with an inferred net inflow rate of the order of the star formation rate (SFR). Given the recent evidence for a higher-than-expected fraction of barred disk galaxies at cosmic noon, our results suggest that rapid gas inflows due to bars could be important evolutionary drivers for the dominant population of star-forming galaxies at the peak epoch of star and galaxy formation.

Astronomy and AstrophysicsVol. 704
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), Scuola Normale Superiore (IT), Tel Aviv University (IL), University of Concepción (CL), Collège de France (FR), Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (FR), Purple Mountain Observatory (CN), Sorbonne Université (FR), Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (DE), Institut de Radioastronomie Millimétrique (FR), Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics (DE), DAWN Center for Independent Living (US), Institute of Astronomy (RU), Astronomy and Space (AU), Spanish National Observatory (ES), Flatiron Health (United States) (US), Millenium Nucleus for Planet Formation (CL), Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova (IT), Flatiron Institute (US), University of Bath (GB), Technical University of Munich (DE), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (DE), National Institute for Astrophysics (IT), Technical University of Denmark (DK)
Openalex Percentile: Top 15%
Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena
1.15
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