We present the discovery of compact, obscured star formation in galaxies at z ~ 0.6 that exhibit >1000 km/s outflows. Using optical morphologies from the Hubble Space Telescope and infrared photometry from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, we estimate star formation rate (SFR) surface densities that approach Sigma_SFR ~ 3000 Msun/yr/kpc^2, comparable to the Eddington limit from radiation pressure on dust grains. We argue that feedback associated with a compact starburst in the form of radiation pressure from massive stars and ram pressure from supernovae and stellar winds is sufficient to produce the high-velocity outflows we observe, without the need to invoke feedback from an active galactic nucleus.
@article{arxiv.1205.2368,
title = {High-Velocity Outflows Without AGN Feedback: Eddington-Limited Star Formation in Compact Massive Galaxies},
author = {Aleksandar M. Diamond-Stanic and John Moustakas and Christy A. Tremonti and Alison L. Coil and Ryan C. Hickox and Aday R. Robaina and Gregory H. Rudnick and Paul H. Sell},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1205.2368},
year = {2012}
}
Comments
6 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ Letters