Using the IRAM Plateau de Bure interferometer (PdBI), we report the detection of water vapor in six new lensed ultra-luminous starburst galaxies at high redshift, discovered in the Herschel... Show moreUsing the IRAM Plateau de Bure interferometer (PdBI), we report the detection of water vapor in six new lensed ultra-luminous starburst galaxies at high redshift, discovered in the Herschel Astrophysical Terahertz Large Area Survey (H-ATLAS). The sources are detected either in the 2$_{02}$-1$_{11}$ or 2$_{11}$-2$_{02}$ H$_{2}$O emission lines with integrated line fluxes ranging from 1.8 to 14 Jy km s$^{-1}$. The corresponding apparent luminosities are {$μ$}L$_{H2}$O ~{} 3-12 { imes} 10$^{8}$ L$_{⊙}$, where {$μ$} is the lensing magnification factor (3 {lt} {$μ$} {lt} 12). These results confirm that H$_{2}$O lines are among the strongest molecular lines in high-z ultra-luminous starburst galaxies, with intensities almost comparable to those of the high-J CO lines, and similar profiles and line widths (~{}200-900 km s$^{-1}$). With the current sensitivity of the PdBI, the water lines can therefore easily be detected in high-z lensed galaxies (with F(500 {$μ$}m) {gt} 100 mJy) discovered in the Herschel surveys. Correcting the luminosities for amplification, using existing lensing models, L$_{H2}$O is found to have a strong dependence on the infrared luminosity, varying as ~{}L$_{IR}$$^{1.2}$. This relation, which needs to be confirmed with better statistics, may indicate a role of radiative (infrared) excitation of the H$_{2}$O lines, and implies that high-z galaxies with L$_{IR}$ {gsim} 10$^{13}$ L$_{⊙}$ tend to be very strong emitters in water vapor, that have no equivalent in the local universe. Herschel (Pilbratt et al. 2010) is an ESA space observatory with science instruments provided by European-led Principal Investigator consortia and with important participation from NASA. Show less
In the course of our 870 {$μ$}m APEX/LABOCA follow-up of the Herschel Lensing Survey we have detected a source in AS1063 (RXC J2248.7-4431) that has no counterparts in any of the Herschel PACS... Show moreIn the course of our 870 {$μ$}m APEX/LABOCA follow-up of the Herschel Lensing Survey we have detected a source in AS1063 (RXC J2248.7-4431) that has no counterparts in any of the Herschel PACS/SPIRE bands, it is a Herschel ''drop-out'' with S$_{870}$/S$_{500}$ {ge} 0.5. The 870 {$μ$}m emission is extended and centered on the brightest cluster galaxy, suggesting either a multiply imaged background source or substructure in the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich increment due to inhomogeneities in the hot cluster gas of this merging cluster. We discuss both interpretations with emphasis on the putative lensed source. Based on the observed properties and on our lens model we find that this source may be the first submillimeter galaxy (SMG) with a moderate far-infrared (FIR) luminosity (L$_{FIR}$ {lt} 10$^{12}$ L$_{⊙}$) detected so far at z {gt} 4. In deep HST observations we identified a multiply imaged z ~{} 6 source and measured its spectroscopic redshift to be z = 6.107 with VLT/FORS. This source may be associated with the putative SMG, but it is most likely offset spatially by 10-30 kpc and they may be interacting galaxies. With a FIR luminosity in the range [5-15] { imes} 10$^{11}$ L$_{⊙}$ corresponding to a star formation rate in the range [80-260] M$_{⊙}$ yr$^{-1}$, this SMG would be more representative of the z {gt} 4 dusty galaxies than the extreme starbursts detected so far. With a total magnification of ~{}25 it would open a unique window to the normal dusty galaxies at the end of the epoch of reionization. Show less
