Publications by authors named "Dominik Riechers"
Distortions of the observed cosmic microwave background provide a direct measurement of the microwave background temperature at redshifts from 0 to 1 (refs. ). Some additional background temperature estimates exist at redshifts from 1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMassive present-day early-type (elliptical and lenticular) galaxies probably gained the bulk of their stellar mass and heavy elements through intense, dust-enshrouded starbursts--that is, increased rates of star formation--in the most massive dark-matter haloes at early epochs. However, it remains unknown how soon after the Big Bang massive starburst progenitors exist. The measured redshift (z) distribution of dusty, massive starbursts has long been suspected to be biased low in z owing to selection effects, as confirmed by recent findings of systems with redshifts as high as ~5 (refs 2-4).
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- The Hubble Deep Field has allowed astronomers to observe thousands of galaxies over time, with one notable discovery being HDF 850.1, which emits at a wavelength sensitive to star formation.
- Researchers have now determined that HDF 850.1 has a redshift of z = 5.183, placing it in a galaxy cluster formed just 1.1 billion years after the Big Bang.
- Despite identifying its distance and mass, HDF 850.1 still lacks a visible starlight counterpart, making it a mysterious object in cosmic observations.*
Article Synopsis
- Massive galaxy clusters dating back to 3.9 billion years after the Big Bang contain stars formed even earlier, as predicted by cold dark matter cosmological models.
- Researchers discovered a protocluster from 1 billion years post-Big Bang (z = 5.3), which is over 13 megaparsecs wide and includes a bright quasar and abundant molecular gas.
- The observed massive galaxies in this region suggest there is at least 400 billion times the mass of our sun in dark and luminous matter, aligning with simulations for early galaxy clusters.
Article Synopsis
- The quasar SDSS J114816.64+525150.3 is located in a galaxy with an extremely high infrared luminosity, indicating significant star formation activity since the Universe was under a billion years old.
- This galaxy's star-forming gas extends over a large area of about 750 parsecs, unlike local examples where star formation is concentrated in smaller regions.
- The observed star formation rate is substantial, suggesting that this vigorous activity could lead to the development of a massive spheroidal structure similar to the Milky Way's bulge.