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Abstract We present emission maps ( $1.\prime 5\times 1.\prime 5$scale, corresponding to 0.18 pc) of the DCN (J= 2 − 1) and DCO⁺(J= 2 − 1) lines in the 2 mm band toward the Orion KL region obtained with the 2 mm receiver system named B4R installed on the Large Millimeter Telescope. The DCN emission shows a peak at the Orion KL hot core position, whereas no DCO⁺emission has been detected there. The DCO⁺emission shows enhancement at the west side of the hot core, which is well shielded from the UV radiation from OB massive stars in the Trapezium cluster. We have derived the abundance ratio of DCN/DCO⁺at three representative positions where both species have been detected. The gas components withV_LSR≈ 7.5–8.7 km s⁻¹are associated with low abundance ratios of ∼4–6, whereas much higher abundance ratios (∼22–30) are derived for the gas components withV_LSR≈ 9.2–11.6 km s⁻¹. We have compared the observed abundance ratio to our chemical models and found that the observed differences in the DCN/DCO⁺abundance ratios are explained by different densities. 

ABSTRACT Vega is the prototypical debris disc system. Its architecture has been extensively studied at optical to millimetre wavelengths, revealing a near face-on, broad, and smooth disc with multiple distinct components. Recent millimetre-wavelength observations from ALMA spatially resolved the inner edge of the outer, cold planetesimal belt from the star for the first time. Here we present early science imaging observations of the Vega system with the AzTEC instrument on the 32-m LMT, tracing extended emission from the disc out to 150 au from the star. We compare the observations to three models of the planetesimal belt architecture to better determine the profile of the outer belt. A comparison of these potential architectures for the disc does not significantly differentiate between them with the modelling results being similar in many respects to the previous ALMA analysis, but differing in the slope of the outer region of the disc. The measured flux densities are consistent between the LMT (single dish) and ALMA (interferometric) observations after accounting for the differences in wavelength of observation. The LMT observations suggest the outer slope of the planetesimal belt is steeper than was suggested in the ALMA analysis. This would be consistent with the interferometric observations being mostly blind to structure at the disc outer edges, but the overall low signal to noise of the LMT observations does not definitively resolve the structure of the outer planetesimal belt. 

ABSTRACT The Planck All-Sky Survey to Analyze Gravitationally-lensed Extreme Starbursts project aims to identify a population of extremely luminous galaxies using the Planck all-sky survey and to explore the nature of their gas fuelling, induced starburst, and the resulting feedback that shape their evolution. Here, we report the identification of 22 high-redshift luminous dusty star-forming galaxies (DSFGs) at z = 1.1–3.3 drawn from a candidate list constructed using the Planck Catalogue of Compact Sources and Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer all-sky survey. They are confirmed through follow-up dust continuum imaging and CO spectroscopy using AzTEC and the Redshift Search Receiver on the Large Millimeter Telescope Alfonso Serrano. Their apparent infrared luminosities span (0.1–3.1) × 1014 L⊙ (median of 1.2 × 1014 L⊙), making them some of the most luminous galaxies found so far. They are also some of the rarest objects in the sky with a source density of ≲0.01 deg−2. Our Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array 1.1 mm continuum observations with θ ≈ 0.4 arcsec resolution show clear ring or arc morphologies characteristic of strong lensing. Their lensing-corrected luminosity of LIR ≳ 1013 L⊙ (star-formation rate ≳ 103 M⊙ yr−1) indicates that they are the magnified versions of the most intrinsically luminous DSFGs found at these redshifts. Our spectral energy distribution analysis finds little detectable active galactic nucleus (AGN) activity despite their enormous luminosity, and any AGN activity present must be extremely heavily obscured. 

Abstract Observations of¹²COJ= 1 – 0 and HCNJ= 1 – 0 emission from NGC 5194 (M51) made with the 50 m Large Millimeter Telescope and the SEQUOIA focal plane array are presented. Using the HCN-to-CO ratio, we examine the dense gas mass fraction over a range of environmental conditions within the galaxy. Within the disk, the dense gas mass fraction varies along the spiral arms but the average value over all spiral arms is comparable to the mean value of interarm regions. We suggest that the near-constant dense gas mass fraction throughout the disk arises from a population of density-stratified, self-gravitating molecular clouds and the required density threshold to detect each spectral line. The measured dense gas fraction significantly increases in the central bulge in response to the effective pressure,P_e, from the weight of the stellar and gas components. This pressure modifies the dynamical state of the molecular cloud population and, possibly, the HCN-emitting regions in the central bulge from self-gravitating to diffuse configurations in whichP_eis greater than the gravitational energy density of individual clouds. Diffuse molecular clouds comprise a significant fraction of the molecular gas mass in the central bulge, which may account for the measured sublinear relationships between the surface densities of the star formation rate and molecular and dense gas. 

Abstract For submillimeter spectroscopy with ground-based single-dish telescopes, removing the noise contribution from the Earth’s atmosphere and the instrument is essential. For this purpose, here we propose a new method based on a data-scientific approach. The key technique is statistical matrix decomposition that automatically separates the signals of astronomical emission lines from the drift noise components in the fast-sampled (1–10 Hz) time-series spectra obtained by a position-switching (PSW) observation. Because the proposed method does not apply subtraction between two sets of noisy data (i.e., on-source and off-source spectra), it improves the observation sensitivity by a factor of $\sqrt{2}$. It also reduces artificial signals such as baseline ripples on a spectrum, which may also help to improve the effective sensitivity. We demonstrate this improvement by using the spectroscopic data of emission lines toward a high-redshift galaxy observed with a 2 mm receiver on the 50 m Large Millimeter Telescope. Since the proposed method is carried out offline and no additional measurements are required, it offers an instant improvement on the spectra reduced so far with the conventional method. It also enables efficient deep spectroscopy driven by the future 50 m class large submillimeter single-dish telescopes, where fast PSW observations by mechanical antenna or mirror drive are difficult to achieve. 

Abstract We present the 3 mm wavelength spectra of 28 local galaxy merger remnants obtained with the Large Millimeter Telescope. Sixteen molecular lines from 14 different molecular species and isotopologues were identified, and 21 out of 28 sources were detected in one or more molecular lines. On average, the line ratios of the dense gas tracers, such as HCN (1–0) and HCO⁺(1–0), to¹³CO (1–0) are 3–4 times higher in ultra/luminous infrared galaxies (U/LIRGs) than in non-LIRGs in our sample. These high line ratios could be explained by the deficiency of¹³CO and high dense gas fractions suggested by high HCN (1–0)/¹²CO (1–0) ratios. We calculate the IR-to-HCN (1–0) luminosity ratio as a proxy of the dense gas star formation efficiency. There is no correlation between the IR/HCN ratio and the IR luminosity, while the IR/HCN ratio varies from source to source ((1.1–6.5) × 10³L_☉/(K km s⁻¹pc²)). Compared with the control sample, we find that the average IR/HCN ratio of the merger remnants is higher by a factor of 2–3 than those of the early/mid-stage mergers and nonmerging LIRGs, and it is comparable to that of the late-stage mergers. The IR-to-¹²CO (1–0) ratios show a similar trend to the IR/HCN ratios. These results suggest that star formation efficiency is enhanced by the merging process and maintained at high levels even after the final coalescence. The dynamical interactions and mergers could change the star formation mode and continue to impact the star formation properties of the gas in the postmerger phase. 

ABSTRACT We present Large Millimeter Telescope (LMT)/AzTEC 1.1 mm observations of ∼100 luminous high-redshift dusty star-forming galaxy candidates from the $$\sim 600\,$$ sq.deg Herschel-ATLAS survey, selected on the basis of their SPIRE red far-infrared colours and with $$S_{500\, \mu \rm m}=35-80$$ mJy. With an effective $$\theta _{\rm FWHM}\approx 9.5\,$$arcsec angular resolution, our observations reveal that at least 9 per cent of the targets break into multiple systems with signal-to-noise ratio ≥4 members. The fraction of multiple systems increases to ∼23 per cent (or more) if some non-detected targets are considered multiples, as suggested by the data. Combining the new AzTEC and deblended Herschel photometry, we derive photometric redshifts, infrared luminosities, and star formation rates. While the median redshifts of the multiple and single systems are similar (zmed ≈ 3.6), the redshift distribution of the latter is skewed towards higher redshifts. Of the AzTEC sources, ∼85 per cent lie at zphot > 3 while ∼33 per cent are at zphot > 4. This corresponds to a lower limit on the space density of ultrared sources at 4 < z < 6 of $$\sim 3\times 10^{-7}\, \textrm {Mpc}^{-3}$$ with a contribution to the obscured star formation of $$\gtrsim 8\times 10^{-4}\, \textrm {M}_\odot \, \textrm {yr}^{-1} \, \textrm {Mpc}^{-3}$$. Some of the multiple systems have members with photometric redshifts consistent among them suggesting possible physical associations. Given their angular separations, these systems are most likely galaxy over-densities and/or early-stage pre-coalescence mergers. Finally, we present 3 mm LMT/RSR spectroscopic redshifts of six red-Herschel galaxies at zspec = 3.85−6.03, two of them (at z ∼ 4.7) representing new redshift confirmations. Here, we release the AzTEC and deblended Herschel photometry as well as catalogues of the most promising interacting systems and z > 4 galaxies. 

We report three epochs of polarized images of M87* at 230 GHz using data from the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) taken in 2017, 2018, and 2021. The baseline coverage of the 2021 observations is significantly improved through the addition of two new EHT stations: the 12 m Kitt Peak Telescope and the Northern Extended Millimetre Array (NOEMA). All observations result in images dominated by a bright, asymmetric ring with a persistent diameter of 43.9 ± 0.6 μas, consistent with expectations for lensed synchrotron emission encircling the apparent shadow of a supermassive black hole. We find that the total intensity and linear polarization of M87* vary significantly across the three epochs. Specifically, the azimuthal brightness distribution of the total intensity images varies from year to year, as expected for a stochastic accretion flow. However, despite a gamma-ray flare erupting in M87 quasi-contemporaneously to the 2018 observations, the 2018 and 2021 images look remarkably similar. The resolved linear polarization fractions in 2018 and 2021 peak at ∼5%, compared to ∼15% in 2017. The spiral polarization pattern on the ring also varies from year to year, including a change in the electric vector position angle helicity in 2021 that could reflect changes in the magnetized accretion flow or an external Faraday screen. The improved 2021 coverage also provides the first EHT constraints on jet emission outside the ring, on scales of ≲1 mas. Overall, these observations provide strong proof of the reliability of the EHT images and probe the dynamic properties of the horizon-scale accretion flow surrounding M87*. 

We investigate the origin of the elliptical ring structure observed in the images of the supermassive black hole M87^*, aiming to disentangle contributions from gravitational, astrophysical, and imaging effects. Leveraging the enhanced capabilities of the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT)'s 2018 array, including improved (u,v)-coverage from the Greenland Telescope, we measured the ring's ellipticity using five independent imaging methods, obtaining a consistent average value ofτ = 0.08_−0.02^+0.03with a position angle ofξ = 50.1_−7.6^+6.2 degrees. To interpret this measurement, we compared it to general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (GRMHD) simulations spanning a wide range of physical parameters including the thermal or nonthermal electron distribution function, spins, and ion-to-electron temperature ratios in both low- and high-density regions. We find no statistically significant correlation between spin and ellipticity in GRMHD images. Instead, we identify a correlation between ellipticity and the fraction of non-ring emission, particularly in nonthermal models and models with higher jet emission. These results indicate that the ellipticity measured from the M87^*emission structure is consistent with that expected from simulations of turbulent accretion flows around black holes, where it is dominated by astrophysical effects rather than gravitational ones. Future high-resolution imaging, including space very long baseline interferometry and long-term monitoring, will be essential to isolate gravitational signatures from astrophysical effects. 

Spectrum analysis at 3 mm of the central region (r≈800 pc) of NGC 4303 showed molecular gas lines of both dense gas tracers (HCN, HNC, HCO+, and C2H) and diffuse gases (13CO and C18O). Molecular gas parameters: H2 mass MH2=(1.75±0.32)×108M☉; radial velocity Vdense=178±60 km s-1, and VCO=151±29 km s-1; HCN luminosity LHCN=(7.38±1.40)×106 K km s-1 pc2; dense gas mass Mdense=(4.7±0.3)×107 M☉, indicating a significant contribution of dense to total molecular gas mass. To explore the AGN nature and central dusty torus of the galaxy, CIGALE was used to fit the integrated spectral energy distribution. Large torus properties are estimated: luminosity LTORUS=(7.1±2.8)×1043 erg s-1 and line of sight inclination of 67±16°, which is consistent with a Type 2 AGN; total infrared luminosity LIR=(3.51± 0.30)×1044 erg s-1; star formation rate SFR=6.0±0.3 M☉ yr-1. A marginal AGN contribution of ≈20% was found.