Context. Galaxy mergers are an important and complex phase during the evolution of galaxies. They may trigger nuclear activity and/or strong star forming episodes in galaxy centres that potentially alter the evolution of the system. Aims. As part of the guaranteed time observations program Mid-Infrared Characterization Of Nearby Iconic galaxy Centers (MICONIC), we used the medium-resolution spectrometer (MRS) of the Mid-Infrared Instrument on board the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to study NGC 6240. We aim to characterise the dual active galactic nuclei (AGN), the ionised gas outflows, and the main properties of the interstellar medium over a mapped area of 6.6″ × 7.7″. Aims. We obtained integral field spectroscopic mid-infrared data (wavelength from 4.9 to 28 μm) of NGC 6240. We modelled the emission lines through a kinematic decomposition that accounts for the possible existence of various components. Methods. We have resolved both nuclei of NGC 6240 for the first time in the full 5- 28 μm spectral range. The fine structure lines in the southern (S) nucleus are broader than for the northern (N) nucleus (full width at half maximum of ≥1500 versus ~700 km s^{- 1} on average, respectively). High excitation lines, such as [Ne V], [Ne VI], and [Mg V], are clearly detected in the N nucleus. In the S nucleus, the same lines can be detected but only after a decomposition of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon features in the integrated spectrum, due to a combination of a strong mid-IR continuum, broad emission lines, and intense star formation (SF). The SF is distributed all over the mapped field of view of 3.5 kpc × 4.1 kpc (projected), with the maximum located around the S nucleus. Both nuclear regions appear to be connected by a bridge region that is detected with all the emission lines. Based on the observed MRS line ratios and the high velocity dispersion (σ ~ 600 km s^{- 1}), shocks also dominate the emission in this system. We detected the presence of outflows as a bubble north-west from the N nucleus and at the S nucleus. We estimated an ionised mass outflow rate of 1.4 ± 0.3 M_⊙ yr^{- 1} and 1.8 ± 0.2 M_⊙ yr^{- 1}, respectively. Given the derived kinetic power of these outflows, both the AGN and the starburst could have triggered them.

We present JWST NIRCam imaging targeting 13 z ~ 3 infrared-luminous (L_IR ∼ 5 × 10¹²L_⊙) galaxies from the ALESS survey with uniquely deep, high-resolution (0 . ″ 08-0 . ″ 16) Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array 870 μm imaging. The 2.0-4.4 μm (observed frame) NIRCam imaging reveals the rest-frame near-infrared stellar emission in these submillimeter-selected galaxies at the same (sub)kiloparsec resolution as the 870 μm dust continuum. The newly revealed stellar morphologies show striking similarities with the dust continuum morphologies at 870 μm, with the centers and position angles agreeing for most sources, clearly illustrating that the spatial offsets reported previously between the 870 μm and Hubble Space Telescope morphologies were due to strong differential dust obscuration. The F444W sizes are 78% ± 21% larger than those measured at 870 μm, in contrast to recent results from hydrodynamical simulations that predict larger 870 μm sizes. We report evidence for significant dust obscuration in F444W for the highest-redshift sources, emphasizing the importance of longer-wavelength MIRI imaging. The majority of the sources show evidence that they are undergoing mergers/interactions, including tidal tails/plumes—some of which are also detected at 870 μm. We find a clear correlation between NIRCam colors and 870 μm surface brightness on ∼1 kpc scales, indicating that the galaxies are primarily red due to dust—not stellar age—and we show that the dust structure on ∼kpc scales is broadly similar to that in nearby galaxies. Finally, we find no strong stellar bars in the rest-frame near-infrared, suggesting the extended bar-like features seen at 870 μm are highly obscured and/or gas-dominated structures that are likely early precursors to significant bulge growth.

We present full 3-28 μm JWST MIRI/MRS and NIRSpec/IFU spectra of the western nucleus of Arp 220, the nearest ultraluminous infrared galaxy. This nucleus has long been suggested to possibly host an embedded Compton-thick AGN. Millimetre observations of the dust continuum suggest the presence of a distinct 20 pc core with a dust temperature of Td ≳ 500 K, in addition to a 100 pc circumnuclear starburst disc. However, unambiguously identifying the nature of this core is challenging, due to the immense obscuration, the nuclear starburst activity, and the nearby eastern nucleus. With the JWST integral field spectrographs, for the first time we can separate the two nuclei across this full wavelength range, revealing a wealth of molecular absorption features towards the western nucleus. We analysed the rovibrational bands detected at 4-22 μm, deriving column densities and rotational temperatures for ten distinct species. Optically thick features of C2H2, HCN, and HNC suggest that this molecular gas is hidden behind a curtain of cooler dust and indicate that the column densities of C2H2 and HCN are an order of magnitude higher than previously derived from Spitzer observations. We identified a warm HCN component with a rotational temperature of Trot = 330 K, which we associate with radiative excitation by the hot inner nucleus. We propose a geometry where the detected molecular gas is located in the inner regions of the starburst disc, directly surrounding the hot 20 pc core. The chemical footprint of the western nucleus is reminiscent of that of hot cores, with additional evidence of shocks. Despite the molecular material's close proximity to the central source, no evidence for the presence of an AGN in the form of X-ray-driven chemistry or extreme excitation was found.

The CO(1-0) and [C i](1-0) emission lines are well-established tracers of cold molecular gas mass in local galaxies. At high redshift, where the interstellar medium is likely to be denser, there have been limited direct comparisons of both ground-state transitions. We present a comparison of [C i](1-0) and CO(1-0) emission in 20 unlensed dusty, star-forming galaxies at z ≥ 2-5. The CO(1-0)/[C i](1-0) ratio remains constant up to z = 5, supporting the reliability of [C i](1-0) as a gas-mass tracer. We use the CO(1-0), [C i](1-0), and 3 mm dust continuum measurements to cross-calibrate their respective gas mass conversion factors, finding no dependence of these factors on either redshift or infrared luminosity. Radiative transfer modeling shows that the warmer cosmic microwave background (CMB) at high redshift can significantly affect the [C i] as well as CO emission, which can change the derived molecular gas masses by up to 70% for the coldest kinetic gas temperatures expected. Nevertheless, the magnitude of the CMB effect on the CO/[C i] ratio is within the known scatter of the L CO ′ − L [ CI ] ′ relation. Precisely determining the CMB effect on individual line intensities would require well-sampled spectral line energy distributions to robustly model the gas excitation conditions. Finally, we note that adopting a variable CO gas-mass conversion factor for different galaxy populations implies [C i](1-0) and dust conversion factors that differ from canonically assumed values. However, the revised conversion factors are consistent with expectations for (super)solar metallicities likely to be found in high-redshift dusty galaxies.

Unobscured quasars (QSOs) are predicted to be the final stage in the evolutionary sequence from gas-rich mergers to gas-depleted, quenched galaxies. Studies of this population, however, find a high incidence of far-infrared-luminous sources-suggesting significant dust-obscured star formation-but direct observations of the cold molecular gas fuelling this star formation are still necessary. We present a NOEMA study of CO(2-1) emission, tracing the cold molecular gas, in ten lensed z = 1-1.5 unobscured QSOs. We detected CO(2-1) in seven of our targets, four of which also show continuum emission (λ_rest = 1.3 mm). After subtracting the foreground galaxy contribution to the photometry, spectral energy distribution fitting yielded stellar masses of 10^9-11 M_⊙, with star formation rates of 25-160 M_⊙ yr^-1 for the host galaxies. These QSOs have lower L′_CO than star-forming galaxies with the same LIR, and show depletion times spanning a large range (50-900 Myr), but with a median of just 90(α_CO/4) Myr. We find molecular gas masses in the range ≤2-40 × 10⁹(α_CO/4) M_⊙, which suggest gas fractions above ~50% for most of the targets. Despite the presence of an unobscured QSO, the host galaxies are able to retain significant amounts of cold gas. However, with a median depletion time of ~90 Myr, the intense burst of star formation taking place in these targets will quickly deplete their molecular gas reservoirs in the absence of gas replenishment, resulting in a quiescent host galaxy. The non-detected QSOs are three of the four radio-loud QSOs in the sample, and their properties indicate that they are likely already transitioning into quiescence. Recent cosmological simulations tend to overestimate the depletion times expected for these z ~ 1 QSO-host galaxies, which is likely linked to their difficulty producing starbursts across the general high-redshift galaxy population.

In this erratum, we correct a mistake in the derivation of OH 119 µm equivalent width in two sources: J2310+1855 and P183+05. Consequently, we also correct the molecular gas outflow mass, mass outflow rate (MOFR), momentum flux, kinetic energy flux, and depletion times as the derivation of these values involves the equivalent width. We provide an updated version of Table 3 from the published article, and of Figures 3, 5, and 6. We no longer find significantly larger OH 119 µm absorption EWs in our unobscured QSO sources with respect to the high-z DSFGs from the literature Spilker et al. (2020a, 2020b). Furthermore, the MOFR, momentum flux, and kinetic energy of the molecular outflows in J2310+1855 and P183+05, as traced by the blueshifted OH 119 µm absorption, are now all significantly offset to lower values with respect to the trends with far-infrared (FIR) luminosity seen in high-z DSFGs (Spilker et al. 2020a, 2020b). Even with an assumed 50% contribution to the FIR luminosity from the central active nucleus, both galaxies appear to have suppressed outflow properties. The star formation rate (SFR) exceeds the MOFR in both sources and is therefore the dominant mechanism responsible for depleting the molecular gas reservoir in these systems. The original conclusion of the published article is therefore unchanged and even reinforced. We would like to thank Tom Bakx for bringing this error to our attention.

We present a feasibility study for the high-redshift galaxy part of the Science Verification Campaign with the 220–440 GHz deshima 2.0 integrated superconducting spectrometer on the ASTE telescope. The first version of the deshima 2.0 chip has been recently manufactured and tested in the lab. Based on these realistic performance measurements, we evaluate potential target samples and prospects for detecting the [CII] and CO emission lines. The planned observations comprise two distinct, but complementary objectives: (1) acquiring spectroscopic redshifts for dusty galaxies selected in far-infrared/mm-wave surveys; (2) multi-line observations to infer physical conditions in dusty galaxies.

Advances in far infrared astronomy have been, and will be, defined by instrument capabilities. Especially relevant is the development of imaging spectrometers for the wavelength range of 0.03-3 mm, which are not available at all at this moment. We will discuss recent advances in this field: First, we discuss the development of miniature on-chip spectrometers, that can operate in a 0.09-1 THz by using lossless superconducting circuits to create miniature spectrometers. For higher frequencies this is not possible due to material limitations, moreover instruments have to be operated in space due to the opacity of the atmosphere. Recent proposals for new missions focus on space-based observatories with optics cooled down to 4K, which offer unprecedented spectral imaging speeds, but require large arrays of extremely sensitive detectors. In the second part of this paper we will discuss the development of microwave Kinetic Inductance detectors with a sensitivity of NEP. 3.1.10-20 W/ãHz, sufficient for these applications.

We present a high-resolution study of the cold molecular gas as traced by CO(1-0) in the unlensed z ∼3.4 submillimeter galaxy SMM J13120+4242, using multiconfiguration observations with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (JVLA). The gas reservoir, imaged on 0.″39 (∼3 kpc) scales, is resolved into two components separated by ∼11 kpc with a total extent of 16 ± 3 kpc. Despite the large spatial extent of the reservoir, the observations show a CO(1-0) FWHM linewidth of only 267 ± 64 km s-1. We derive a revised line luminosity of LCO(1-0)′ = (10 ± 3) × 1010 K km s-1 pc2 and a molecular gas mass of M gas = (13 ± 3)× 1010 (α CO/1) M ⊙. Despite the presence of a velocity gradient (consistent with previous resolved CO(6-5) imaging), the CO(1-0) imaging shows evidence for significant turbulent motions that are preventing the gas from fully settling into a disk. The system likely represents a merger in an advanced stage. Although the dynamical mass is highly uncertain, we use it to place an upper limit on the CO-to-H2 mass conversion factor α CO of 1.4. We revisit the SED fitting, finding that this galaxy lies on the very massive end of the main sequence at z = 3.4. Based on the low gas fraction, short gas depletion time, and evidence for a central AGN, we propose that SMM J13120 is in a rapid transitional phase between a merger-driven starburst and an unobscured quasar. The case of SMM J13120 highlights how mergers may drive important physical changes in galaxies without pushing them off the main sequence.

We report the detection of a massive neutral gas outflow in the z = 2.09 gravitationally lensed dusty star-forming galaxy HATLAS J085358.9+015537 (G09v1.40), seen in absorption with the OH+(11-10) transition using spatially resolved (0"5 × 0"4) Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations. The blueshifted OH+ line is observed simultaneously with the CO(9-8) emission line and underlying dust continuum. These data are complemented by high-angular-resolution (0"17 × 0"13) ALMA observations of CH+(1-0) and underlying dust continuum, and Keck 2.2 μm imaging tracing the stellar emission. The neutral outflow, dust, dense molecular gas, and stars all show spatial offsets from each other. The total atomic gas mass of the observed outflow is 6.7 × 109M⊙, >25% as massive as the gas mass of the galaxy. We find that a conical outflow geometry best describes the OH+ kinematics and morphology and derive deprojected outflow properties as functions of possible inclination (0°.38-64°). The neutral gas mass outflow rate is between 83 and 25,400 M⊙ yr-1, exceeding the star formation rate (788 ± 300M⊙ yr-1) if the inclination is >3°.6 (mass-loading factor = 0.3-4.7). Kinetic energy and momentum fluxes span (4.4-290) × 109 L⊙ and (0.1-3.7) × 1037 dyne, respectively (energy-loading factor = 0.013-16), indicating that the feedback mechanisms required to drive the outflow depend on the inclination assumed. We derive a gas depletion time between 29 and 1 Myr, but find that the neutral outflow is likely to remain bound to the galaxy unless the inclination is small and may be reaccreted if additional feedback processes do not occur.

The [C ii] 158 μm fine-structure line is the brightest emission line observed in local star-forming galaxies. As a major coolant of the gas-phase interstellar medium, [C ii] balances the heating, including that due to far-ultraviolet photons, which heat the gas via the photoelectric effect. However, the origin of [C ii] emission remains unclear because C⁺ can be found in multiple phases of the interstellar medium. Here we measure the fractions of [C ii] emission originating in the ionized and neutral gas phases of a sample of nearby galaxies. We use the [N ii] 205 μm fine-structure line to trace the ionized medium, thereby eliminating the strong density dependence that exists in the ratio of [C ii]/[N ii] 122 μm. Using the FIR [C ii] and [N ii] emission detected by the KINGFISH (Key Insights on Nearby Galaxies: a Far- Infrared Survey with Herschel) and Beyond the Peak Herschel programs, we show that 60%-80% of [C ii] emission originates from neutral gas. We find that the fraction of [C ii] originating in the neutral medium has a weak dependence on dust temperature and the surface density of star formation, and has a stronger dependence on the gas-phase metallicity. In metal-rich environments, the relatively cooler ionized gas makes substantially larger contributions to total [C ii] emission than at low abundance, contrary to prior expectations. Approximate calibrations of this metallicity trend are provided.

The [NII] 122 and 205 um transitions are powerful tracers of the ionized gas in the ISM: (1) the [NII] 122/205 line ratio can be used to measure the electron density of the low-excitation, ionized gas, and (2) the intensity of these lines is directly related to the flux of ionizing photons, probing the most recent star formation activity. The study of these applications in nearby galaxies is specially relevant now that ALMA can observe both [NII] transitions at z>2. In this talk I will present Herschel observations of these pair of [NII] far-infrared lines in 21 nearby galaxies selected from the KINGFISH and Beyond the Peak samples. I will discuss the reliability of the [NII] lines as star formation tracers, and how the electron density of the ionized gas is related to other relevant ISM properties (e.g., radiation field strength, star formation activity, dust temperature, etc).