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Journal Article
A giant galaxy in the young Universe with a massive ring
2020
Overview
In the local (redshift
z
≈ 0) Universe, collisional ring galaxies make up only ~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.
A ring galaxy is found at a look-back time of 10.8 Gyr. The diffuse stellar light outside the star-forming ring, the ring’s radial velocity and a nearby intruder galaxy indicate that this is a collisional ring galaxy.
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group UK,Nature Publishing Group
Subject
