A giant galaxy in the young Universe with a massive ring

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  • 8716714

    Accepted author manuscript, 1.66 MB, PDF document

  • Tiantian Yuan
  • Ahmed Elagali
  • Ivo Labbe
  • Glenn G. Kacprzak
  • Claudia del P. Lagos
  • Leo Y. Alcorn
  • Jonathan H. Cohn
  • Kim-Vy H. Tran
  • Karl Glazebrook
  • Brent A. Groves
  • Kenneth C. Freeman
  • Lee R. Spitler
  • Caroline M. S. Straatman
  • Deanne B. Fisher
  • Sarah M. Sweet

In the local (redshift z approximate to 0) Universe, collisional ring galaxies make up only similar to 0.01% of galaxies(1) and are formed by head-on galactic collisions that trigger radially propagating density waves(2-4). These striking systems provide key snapshots for dissecting galactic disks and are studied extensively in the local Universe(5-9). However, not much is known about distant (z > 0.1) collisional rings(10-14). Here we present a detailed study of a ring galaxy at a look-back time of 10.8 Gyr (z = 2.19). Compared with our Milky Way, this galaxy has a similar stellar mass, but has a stellar half-light radius that is 1.5-2.2 times larger and is forming stars 50 times faster. The extended, diffuse stellar light outside the star-forming ring, combined with a radial velocity on the ring and an intruder galaxy nearby, provides evidence for this galaxy hosting a collisional ring. If the ring is secularly evolved(15,16), the implied large bar in a giant disk would be inconsistent with the current understanding of the earliest formation of barred spirals(17-21). Contrary to previous predictions(10-12), this work suggests that massive collisional rings were as rare 11 Gyr ago as they are today. Our discovery offers a unique pathway for studying density waves in young galaxies, as well as constraining the cosmic evolution of spiral disks and galaxy groups.

Original languageEnglish
JournalNature Astronomy
Volume4
Issue number10
Pages (from-to)957-964
Number of pages8
ISSN2397-3366
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Oct 2020

    Research areas

  • FORMATION RATES, STAR-FORMATION, STELLAR, CATALOG, WHEELS, MASSES, MILKY, FIRE

ID: 258028434