Multiphase ISM in the z = 5.7 Hyperluminous Starburst SPT 0346-52

Abstract

With ςSFR ∼4200 M ⊙ yr-1 kpc-2, SPT 0346-52 (z = 5.7) is the most intensely star-forming galaxy discovered by the South Pole Telescope. In this paper, we expand on previous spatially resolved studies, using ALMA observations of dust continuum, [N ii] 205 μm, [C ii] 158 μm, [O i] 146 μm, and undetected [N ii] 122 μm and [O i] 63 μm emission to study the multiphase interstellar medium (ISM) in SPT 0346-52. We use pixelated, visibility-based lens modeling to reconstruct the source-plane emission. We also model the source-plane emission using the photoionization code cloudy and find a supersolar metallicity system. We calculate T dust = 48.3 K and λ peak = 80 μm and see line deficits in all five lines. The ionized gas is less dense than comparable galaxies, with n e < 32 cm-3, while ∼20% of the [C ii] 158 μm emission originates from the ionized phase of the ISM. We also calculate the masses of several phases of the ISM. We find that molecular gas dominates the mass of the ISM in SPT 0346-52, with the molecular gas mass ∼4× higher than the neutral atomic gas mass and ∼100× higher than the ionized gas mass. © 2022. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society.