IMAGING THE MOLECULAR GAS IN Az= 3.9 QUASAR HOST GALAXY AT 0.″3 RESOLUTION: A CENTRAL, SUB-KILOPARSEC SCALE STAR FORMATION RESERVOIR IN APM 08279+5255

Abstract

We have mapped the molecular gas content in the host galaxy of the strongly lensed high-redshift quasar APM 08279+5255 (z = 3.911) with the Very Large Array at 0\farcs3 resolution. The CO(J = 1➝0) emission is clearly resolved in our maps. The CO(J = 1➝0) line luminosity derived from these maps is in good agreement with a previous single-dish measurement. In contrast to previous interferometer-based studies, we find that the full molecular gas reservoir is situated in two compact peaks separated by ≲0\farcs4. Our observations reveal, for the first time, that the emission from cold molecular gas is virtually co-spatial with the optical/near-infrared continuum emission of the central active galactic nucleus (AGN) in this source. This striking similarity in morphology indicates that the molecular gas is situated in a compact region close to the AGN. Based on the high-resolution CO maps, we present a revised model for the gravitational lensing in this system, which indicates that the molecular gas emission is magnified by only a factor of 4 (in contrast to previously suggested factors of 100). This model suggests that the CO is situated in a circumnuclear disk of ~550 pc radius that is possibly seen at an inclination of ≲25°, i.e., relatively close to face-on. From the CO luminosity, we derive a molecular gas mass of Mgas = 1.3x10^11 M☉ for this galaxy. From the CO structure and linewidth, we derive a dynamical mass of M dyn sin^2 i = 4.0x10^10 M☉. Based on a revised mass estimate for the central black hole of Mbh = 2.3x10^10 M☉ and the results of our molecular line study, we find that the mass of the stellar bulge of APM 08279+5255 falls short of the local M BH-σbulge relationship of nearby galaxies by more than an order of magnitude, lending support to recent suggestions that this relation may evolve with cosmic time and/or change toward the high-mass end.