CSOLOGO1 CSOLOGO2SHARCII imaged dust emission from very distant galaxies  



Using the CSO/SHARCII , two teams of astronomers have measured the total far-infrared energy output of luminous galaxies in the distant universe.  These galaxies have an average redshift of z=3, meaning we are seeing light emitted 11.5 billion years ago, when the universe was only 16% of it's current age.  The peak of the far-infrared spectrum, which is normally at a wavelength near 100 micron for more nearby galaxies, is redshifted to the 350 micron band that can be observed from the CSO.  By measuring the 350 micron emission from the galaxies, Beelen et al. (2006) and Kovacs et al (2006) were able to calculate the full amount of power emerging in the far-infrared.  For most of the galaxies, this was done for the first time, and they are found to shine with the luminosity of 10 trillion suns, or 1000 times the luminosity of our own Milky Way galaxy.  Beelen et al. observed quasars, known to harbor supermassive black holes, and Kovacs et al. observed galaxies which were discovered with the 850 micron SCUBA camera on the JCMT.  The results are to appear in the Astrophysical Journal.




An example of SHARCII 350 micron image of one of the optically luminous, radio-quiet high-z quasars (Beelen et al. 2006).