1997/10/06 by C. D. Wilson, F. Combes, Wilson, C. D. +1
Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomy and Astrophysical Research #Astrophysics (astro-ph) #CCD and CMOS Imaging Sensors #FOS: Physical sciences #Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.astro-ph/9710059
4 pages, aaptex, 1 postscript figure; accepted for publication in A&A; also available at http://www.physics.mcmaster.ca/Wilson_Preprints/
arxiv created 1997/10/06 · openalex publication_date 1997/10/06 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
We have obtained sensitive upper limits on the CO J=2-1 and CO J=3-2 emission lines for five faint blue galaxies with redshifts z∼ 0.5 using the IRAM 30~m telescope. These observations would have been able to detect the luminous infrared galaxy IRAS F10214+4724 if it were located at this redshift and unlensed. However, they are not sensitive enough to detect the prototype starburst galaxy M82 or the HII galaxy UM448 if they were located at this redshift. Our upper limits for the CO emission are consistent with between 19% and 66% of the total galactic mass being in the form of molecular hydrogen, and thus shed little light on the ultimate fate of these galaxies.