1. Star-forming brightest cluster galaxies at z ∼ 0.4 in KiDS
- Author
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Castignani, G., Radovich, M., Combes, F., Salomé, P., Moscardini, L., Bardelli, S., Giocoli, C., Lesci, G., Marulli, F., Maturi, M., Puddu, E., Sereno, M., and Tramonte, D.
- Subjects
Space and Planetary Science ,Astrophysics of Galaxies (astro-ph.GA) ,FOS: Physical sciences ,Astronomy and Astrophysics ,Astrophysics - Astrophysics of Galaxies - Abstract
Brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) are among the most massive galaxies in the Universe. Their star formation (SF) history and stellar mass assembly are debated. Recent studies suggest the presence of an emerging population of intermediate-$z$ star forming and gas-rich BCGs, where the molecular gas reservoirs are impacted by strong environmental processing. We have selected three among the most star-forming $z\sim0.4$ BCGs in the Kilo-Degree Survey (KiDS), and observed them with the IRAM 30m telescope in the first three CO transitions. We found double-horn CO(1$\rightarrow$0) and CO(3$\rightarrow$2) emission for the KiDS 1433 BCG, yielding a large molecular gas reservoir with $M_{H_2}=(5.9\pm1.2)\times10^{10}~M_\odot$ and a high gas-to-stellar mass ratio $M_{H_2}/M_\star=(0.32^{+0.12}_{-0.10})$. We increase the limited sample of distant BCGs with detections in multiple CO transitions. The double-horn emission for the KiDS 1433 BCG implies a low gas concentration, while a modeling of the spectra yields an extended molecular gas reservoir, with a characteristic radius of $\sim$(5-7) kpc, which is reminiscent of a mature extended-disk phase observed in some local BCGs. For the other two BCGs we are able to set upper limits of $M_{H_2}/M_\star, 15 pages, 8 figures, version after the proof corrections, A&A in press. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:2207.12073
- Published
- 2023
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