We present high-resolution (≲0.1arcsec) ALMA observations of the strongly-lensed galaxy HATLASJ113526.2-01460 at redshift z∼3.1 discovered in the Gama 12th field of the Herschel-ATLAS survey. The gravitationally lensed system is remarkably peculiar in that neither the background source nor the foreground lens show a clearly detected optical/NIR emission. We perform accurate lens modeling and source morphology reconstruction in three different (sub-)mm continuum bands, and in the C[II] and CO(8-7) spectral lines. The modeling indicates a foreground lensing (likely elliptical) galaxy with mass ≳1011M⊙ at z≳1.5, while the source (sub-)mm continuum and line emissions are amplified by factors μ∼6−13. We estimate extremely compact sizes ≲0.5 kpc for the star-forming region and ≲1 kpc for the gas component, with no clear evidence of rotation or of ongoing merging events. We perform broadband SED-fitting and retrieve the intrinsic de-magnified physical properties of the source, which is found to feature a very high star-formation rate ≳103M⊙ yr−1, that given the compact sizes is on the verge of the Eddington limit for starbursts; the radio luminosity at 6 cm from available EVLA observations is consistent with the star-formation activity. The galaxy is found to be extremely rich in gas ∼1011M⊙ and dust ≳109M⊙. The stellar content ≲1011M⊙ places the source well above the main sequence of starforming galaxies, indicating that the starburst is rather young with estimated age ∼108 yr. Our results indicate that the overall properties of HATLASJ113526.2-01460 are consistently explained by in-situ galaxy formation and evolution scenarios.
@article{arxiv.2207.00466,
title = {ALMA resolves the first strongly-lensed Optical/NIR-dark galaxy},
author = {M. Giulietti and A. Lapi and M. Massardi and M. Behiri and M. Torsello and Q. D'Amato and T. Ronconi and F. Perrotta and A. Bressan},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2207.00466},
year = {2023}
}