Very High Gas Fractions and Extended Gas Reservoirs in z=1.5 Disk Galaxies

Understand

We present evidence for very high gas fractions and extended molecular gas reservoirs in normal, near-infrared selected (BzK) galaxies at z~1.5, based on multi-configuration CO[2-1] observations obtained at the IRAM PdBI.

• Six of the six galaxies observed were securely detected.
• High resolution observations resolve the CO emission in four of them, implying sizes of order of 6-11 kpc and suggesting the presence of rotation.
• The UV morphologies are consistent with clumpy, unstable disks, and the UV sizes are consistent with the CO sizes.