Far infra-red emission lines in high redshift quasars
Abstract
We present Plateau de Bure Interferometer observations of far infra-red emission lines in BRI 0952-0115, a lensed quasar at z=4.4 powered by a super-massive black hole (MBH=2x109 Msun). In this source, the resolved map of the [CII] emission at 158 micron allows us to reveal the presence of a companion galaxy, located at 10 kpc from the quasar, undetected in optical observations. From the CO(5-4) emission line properties we infer a stellar mass M*<2.2x1010 Msun, which is significantly smaller than the one found in local galaxies hosting black holes with similar masses (M* 1012 Msun). The detection of the [NII] emission at 205 micron suggests that the metallicity in BRI 0952-0115 is consistent with solar, implying that the chemical evolution has progressed very rapidly in this system. We also present PdBI observations of the [CII] emission line in SDSSJ1148+5251, one of the most distant quasar known, at z=6.4. We detect broad wings in the [CII] emission line, indicative of gas which is outflowing from the host galaxy. In particular, the extent of the wings, and the size of the [CII] emitting region associated to them, are indicative of a quasar-driven massive outflow with the highest outflow rate ever found (dM/dt>3500 Msun/yr).
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