The nuclear structure of dusty star-forming galaxies is largely unexplored but harbours critical information about their structural evolution. Here, we present long-baseline Atacama Large (sub-)Millimetre Array (ALMA) continuum observations of a gravitationally lensed dusty star-forming galaxy at z=2.78. We use a pixellated lens modelling analysis to reconstruct the rest-frame 230 μm dust emission with a mean resolution of ≈55 pc and demonstrate that the inferred source properties are robust to changes in lens modelling methodology. The central 1 kpc is characterised by an exponential profile, a dual spiral arm morphology and an apparent super-Eddington compact central starburst. We find tentative evidence for a nuclear bar in the central 300 pc. These features may indicate that secular dynamical processes play a role in accumulating a high concentration of cold gas that fuels the rapid formation of a compact stellar spheroid and black hole accretion. We propose that the high spatial resolution provided by long-baseline ALMA observations and strong gravitational lensing will give key insights into the formation mechanisms of massive galaxies.
@article{arxiv.2412.03644,
title = {A nuclear spiral in a dusty star-forming galaxy at $z=2.78$},
author = {H. R. Stacey and M. Kaasinen and C. M. O'Riordan and J. P. McKean and D. M. Powell and F. Rizzo},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2412.03644},
year = {2025}
}