ALMA reveals a chemically evolved submillimeter galaxy at z = 4.76

Abstract

The chemical properties of high-z galaxies provide important information for constraining galaxy evolutionary scenarios. However, widely used metallicity diagnostics based on rest-frame optical emission lines are unusable for heavily dust-enshrouded galaxies (such as submillimeter galaxies; SMGs), especially at z > 3. Here we focus on the flux ratio of the far-infrared fine-structure emission lines [N II] 205 μm and [C II] 158 μm to assess the metallicity of high-z SMGs. Through ALMA cycle 0 observations, we have detected the [N II] 205 μm emission in a strongly [C II]-emitting SMG, LESS J033229.4-275619 at z = 4.76. The velocity-integrated [N II]/[C II] flux ratio is 0.043 ± 0.008. This is the first measurement of the [N II]/[C II] flux ratio in high-z galaxies, and the inferred flux ratio is similar to the ratio observed in the nearby universe (∼0.02-0.07). The velocity-integrated flux ratio and photoionization models suggest that the metallicity in this SMG is consistent with solar, implying that the chemical evolution has progressed very rapidly in this system at z = 4.76. We also obtain a tight upper limit on the CO(12-11) transition, which translates into CO(12-11)/CO(2-1) < 3.8 (3σ). This suggests that the molecular gas clouds in LESS J033229.4-275619 are not significantly affected by the radiation field emitted by the AGN in this system. © 2012 ESO.