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--- physx:astrolunch:tbd [2013/10/13 08:58] – created sebastian.khan@LIGO.ORG
+++ physx:astrolunch:tbd [2013/10/13 08:59] (current) – removed sebastian.khan@LIGO.ORG
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-Arxiv link
-http://arxiv.org/abs/1305.4930
-Abstract
---------
-Stellar archeology1 shows that massive elliptical galaxies today
-formed rapidly about ten billion years ago with star formation
-rates above several hundreds solar masses per year (M&#8857; yr&#8722;1).
-Their progenitors are likely the sub-millimeter-bright galaxies
-(SMGs)2 at redshifts (z) greater than 2. While SMGs’ mean molecular
-gas mass3 of 5×1010 M&#8857; can explain the formation of typical
-elliptical galaxies, it is inadequate to form ellipticals4 that already
-have stellar masses above 2×1011 M&#8857; at z &#8776; 2. Here we report
-multi-wavelength high-resolution observations of a rare merger of
-two massive SMGs at z = 2.3. The system is currently forming
-stars at a tremendous rate of 2,000 M&#8857; yr&#8722;1. With a star
-formation
-efficiency an order-of-magnitude greater than that of normal
-galaxies, it will quench the star formation by exhausting the gas
-reservoir in only &#8764; 200 million years. At a projected separation of
-kiloparsecs, the two massive starbursts are about to merge and
-form a passive elliptical galaxy with a stellar mass of &#8764; 4×1011
-M&#8857;. Our observations show that gas-rich major galaxy mergers,
-concurrent with intense star formation, can form the most massive
-elliptical galaxies by z &#8776; 1.5.