近日，美国国家射电天文台的Bjorn H. C. Emonts课题组与法国索邦大学的Pierre Guillard以及英国诺丁汉大学的Nina A. Hatch等人合作，发现了与红移为3.8的巨型射电星系相连的宇宙原子碳气体流。相关研究成果已于2023年3月31日在国际权威学术期刊《科学》上发表。

该研究团队报道了一个细丝状气体流，延伸了100千秒差距并连接到巨大的射电星系4C 41.17。研究人员使用[C I]原子碳线的³P1到³P0发射的亚毫米波观测检测到了该流，这是一种中性原子或分子氢气的示踪剂。该星系包含一个中心气体库，正为强劲的恒星爆发提供燃料。研究结果表明，维持恒星形成所需的原材料可以存在于星系外的宇宙气流中。

据了解，早期宇宙中星系的增长是由周围和星系间的气体吸积驱动的。模拟预测稳定的冷气流穿过暗物质星系晕并提供维持恒星形成所需的原材料。

附：英文原文

Title: A cosmic stream of atomic carbon gas connected to a massive radio galaxy at redshift 3.8

Author: Bjorn H. C. Emonts, Matthew D. Lehnert, Ilsang Yoon, Nir Mandelker, Montserrat Villar-Martín, George K. Miley, Carlos De Breuck, Miguel A. Pérez-Torres, Nina A. Hatch, Pierre Guillard

Issue&Volume: 2023-03-31

Abstract: The growth of galaxies in the early Universe is driven by accretion of circum- and intergalactic gas. Simulations have predicted that steady streams of cold gas penetrate the dark matter halos of galaxies and provide the raw material necessary to sustain star formation. We report a filamentary stream of gas that extends for 100 kiloparsecs and connects to the massive radio galaxy 4C 41.17. We detected the stream using submillimeter observations of the ³P1 to ³P0 emission from the [C I] line of atomic carbon, a tracer of neutral atomic or molecular hydrogen gas. The galaxy contains a central gas reservoir that is fueling a vigorous starburst. Our results show that the raw material for star formation can be present in cosmic streams outside galaxies.

DOI: abh2150

Source: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abh2150