The discovery of a z=0.7092 OH megamaser with the MIGHTEE survey
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Oxford University Press (2023)
Abstract:
We present the discovery of the most distant OH megamaser to be observed in the main lines, using data from the MeerKAT International Giga-Hertz Tiered Extragalactic Exploration (MIGHTEE) survey. At a newly measured redshift of đ§ = 0.7092, the system has strong emission in both the 1665 MHz (đż â 2500 Lâ) and 1667 MHz (đż â 4.5Ă104 Lâ) transitions, with both narrow and broad components. We interpret the broad line as a high-velocity-dispersion component of the 1667 MHz transition, with velocity đŁ ⌠330 km sâ1 with respect to the systemic velocity. The host galaxy has a stellar mass of đâ = 2.95 Ă 1010 Mâ and a star-formation rate of SFR = 371 Mâ yrâ1 , placing it ⌠1.5 dex above the main sequence for star-forming galaxies at this redshift, and can be classified as an ultra-luminous infrared galaxy. Alongside the optical imaging data, which exhibits evidence for a tidal tail, this suggests that the OH megamaser arises from a system that is currently undergoing a merger, which is stimulating star formation and providing the necessary conditions for pumping the OH molecule to saturation. The OHM is likely to be lensed, with a magnification factor of ⌠2.5, and perhaps more if the maser emitting region is compact and suitably offset relative to the centroid of its host galaxyâs optical light. This discovery demonstrates that spectral line mapping with the new generation of radio interferometers may provide important information on the cosmic merger history of galaxies.The discovery of a z=0.7092 OH megamaser with the MIGHTEE survey
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