A tight relation between the [C II] 158 mu m line luminosity and star formation rate is measured in local galaxies. At high redshift (z > 5), though, a much larger scatter is observed, with a considerable (15-20 per cent) fraction of the outliers being [C II]-deficient. Moreover, the [C II] surface brightness (Sigma([C II])) of these sources is systematically lower than expected from the local relation. To clarify the origin of such [C II]-deficiency, we have developed an analytical model that fits local [C II] data and has been validated against radiative transfer simulations performed with CLOUDY. The model predicts an overall increase of Sigma([C II]) with Sigma(SFR). However, for Sigma(SFR) greater than or similar to 1M(circle dot) yr(-1) kpc(-2), Sigma([C II]) saturates. We conclude that underluminous [C II] systems can result from a combination of three factors: (a) large upward deviations from theKennicutt-Schmidt relation (kappa(s) >> 1), parametrized by the 'burstiness' parameter kappa(s); (b) low metallicity; (c) low gas density, at least for the most extreme sources (e.g. CR7). Observations of [C II] emission alone cannot break the degeneracy among the above three parameters; this requires additional information coming from other emission lines (e.g. [OIII]88 mu m, C III]1909 degrees, CO lines). Simple formulae are given to interpret available data for low- and high- z galaxies.

We present Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations of eight highly excited CO (J(up) > 8) lines and continuum emission in two z similar to 6 quasars: SDSS J231038.88+185519.7 (hereafter J2310), for which CO(8-7), CO(9-8), and CO(17-16) lines have been observed, and ULAS J131911.29+095951.4 (J1319), observed in the CO(14-13), CO(17-16), and CO(19-18) lines. The continuum emission of both quasars arises from a compact region (<0.9 kpc). By assuming a modified blackbody law, we estimate dust masses of log(M-dust/M-circle dot) = 8.75 +/- 0.07 and log(M-dust/M-circle dot) = 8.8 +/- 0.2 and dust temperatures of T-dust = 76 +/- 3 K and T-dust = 66(-10)(+15) K, respectively, for J2310 and J1319. Only CO(8-7) and CO(9-8) in J2310 are detected, while 3 sigma upper limits on luminosities are reported for the other lines of both quasars. The CO line luminosities and upper limits measured in J2310 and J1319 are consistent with those observed in local active galactic nuclei and starburst galaxies, and other z similar to 6 quasars, except for SDSS J1148+5251 (J1148), the only quasar at z = 6.4 with a previous CO(17-16) line detection. By computing the CO spectral line energy distributions normalized to the CO(6-5) line and far-infrared luminosities for J2310, J1319, and J1148, we conclude that different gas heating mechanisms (X-ray radiation and/or shocks) may explain the different CO luminosities observed in these z similar to 6 quasar. Future J(up) > 8 CO observations will be crucial to understand the processes responsible for molecular gas excitation in luminous high-z quasars.

We study the formation and evolution of a sample of Lyman break galaxies in the epoch of reionization by using high-resolution (similar to 10 pc), cosmological zoom-in simulations part of the SERRA suite. In SERRA, we follow the interstellar medium thermochemical non-equilibrium evolution and perform on-the-fly radiative transfer of the interstellar radiation field (ISRF). The simulation outputs are post-processed to compute the emission of far infrared lines ([C II], [N II], and [O III]). At z = 8, the most massive galaxy, 'Freesia', has an age t(star) similar or equal to 409 Myr, stellar mass M-star similar or equal to 4.2 x 10(9)M(circle dot), and a star formation rate (SFR), SFR similar or equal to 11.5M(circle dot) yr(-1), due to a recent burst. Freesia has two stellar components (A and B) separated by similar or equal to 2.5 kpc; other 11 galaxies are found within 56.9 +/- 21.6 kpc. The mean ISRF in the Habing band is G = 7.9G(0) and is spatially uniform; in contrast, the ionization parameter is U = 2(-2)(+20) x 10(-3), and has a patchy distribution peaked at the location of star-forming sites. The resulting ionizing escape fraction from Freesia is f(esc) similar or equal to 2 per cent. While [C II] emission is extended (radius 1.54 kpc), [O III] is concentrated in Freesia-Lambda (0.85 kpc), where the ratio Sigma([O III])/Sigma([C II]) similar or equal to 10. As many high-z galaxies, Freesia lies below the local [C II]-SFR relation. We show that this is the general consequence of a starburst phase (pushing the galaxy above the Kennicutt-Schmidt relation) that disrupts/photodissociates the emitting molecular clouds around star-forming sites. Metallicity has a sub-dominant impact on the amplitude of [C II]-SFR deviations.

We study the kinematical properties of galaxies in the Epoch of Reionization via the [C II] 158 mu m line emission. The line profile provides information on the kinematics as well as structural properties such as the presence of a disc and satellites. To understand how these properties are encoded in the line profile, first we develop analytical models from which we identify disc inclination and gas turbulent motions as the key parameters affecting the line profile. To gain further insights, we use 'Althaea', a highly resolved (30 pc) simulated prototypical Lyman-break galaxy, in the redshilt range z = 6-7, when the galaxy is in a very active assembling phase. Based on morphology, we select three main dynamical stages: (I) merger, (II) spiral disc, and (III) disturbed disc, We identify spectral signatures of merger events, spiral arms, and extra-planar flows in (1), (II), and respectively. We derive a generalized dynamical mass versus [C II]-line FWHM relation. If precise information on the galaxy inclination is (not) available, the returned mass estimate is accurate within a factor 2 (4). A Tully-Fisher relation is found for the observed high-z galaxies, i.e. L-[C II] proportional to (FWHM)(1.80 +/- 0.35) for which we provide a simple, physically based interpretation, Finally, we perform mock ALMA simulations to check the detectability of [C II]. When seen face-on, Althaea is always detected at >5 sigma; in the edge-on case it remains undetected because the larger intrinsic FWIIM pushes the line peak flux below detection limit. This suggests that some of the reported non-detections might be due to inclination effects.

The intrinsic strength of the Ly alpha line in young, star-forming systems makes it a special tool for studying high-redshift galaxies. However, interpreting observations remains challenging due to the complex radiative transfer involved. Here, we combine state-of-the-art hydrodynamical simulations of 'Althaea', a prototypical Lyman Break Galaxy (LBG; stellar mass M-star similar or equal to 10(10) M-circle dot) at z = 7.2, with detailed radiative transfer computations of dust/continuum, [C II] 158 mu m, and Ly alpha to clarify the relation between the galaxy properties and its Ly alpha emission. Althaea exhibits low (f(alpha) < 1 per cent) Ly alpha escape fractions and equivalent widths, EW less than or similar to 6 angstrom for the simulated lines of sight, with a large scatter. The correlation between escape fraction and inclination is weak, as a result of the rather chaotic structure of high-redshift galaxies. Low f(alpha) values persist even if we artificially remove neutral gas around star-forming regions to mimic the presence of H II regions. The high attenuation is primarily caused by dust clumps co-located with young stellar clusters. We can turn Althaea into a Lyman Alpha Emitter (LAE) only if we artificially remove dust from the clumps, yielding EWs up to 22 angstrom. Our study suggests that the LBG-LAE duty-cycle required by recent clustering measurements poses the challenging problem of a dynamically changing dust attenuation. Finally, we find an anticorrelation between the magnitude of Ly alpha-[C II] line velocity shift and Ly alpha luminosity.

We study the photoevaporation of Jeans-unstable molecular clumps by isotropic FUV (6 eV < by < 13.6 eV) radiation, through 3D radiative transfer hydrodynamical simulations implementing a non-equilibrium chemical network that includes the formation and dissociation of H2. We run a set of simulations considering different clump masses (M = 10-200 Mo) and impinging fluxes (G0 = 2 x 103 to 8 x 104 in Habing units). In the initial phase, the radiation sweeps the clump as an R-type dissociation front, reducing the H2 mass by a factor 40-90 per cent. Then, a weak (.A4 2) shock develops and travels towards the centre of the clump, which collapses while losing mass from its surface, All considered clumps remain gravitationally unstable even if radiation rips off most of the clump mass, showing that external REV radiation is not able to stop clump collapse. However, the REV intensity regulates the final H2 mass available for star formation: for example, for Go < 104 more than 10 per cent of the initial clump mass survives, Finally, for massive clumps (?, 100 the H2 mass increases by 25-50 per cent during the collapse, mostly because of the rapid density growth that implies a more efficient H2 self-shielding.

We present the first attempt to detect outflows from galaxies approaching the Epoch of Reionization (EoR) using a sample of nine star-forming (SFR = 31 +/- 20M(circle dot) yr(-1)) z similar to 5.5 galaxies for which the [C II] 158 mu m line has been previously obtained with Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA). We first fit each line with a Gaussian function and compute the residuals by subtracting the best-fitting model from the data. We combine the residuals of all sample galaxies and find that the total signal is characterized by a flux excess of similar to 0.5 mJy extended over similar to 1000 km s(-1). Although we cannot exclude that part of this signal is due to emission from faint satellite galaxies, we show that the most probable explanation for the detected flux excess is the presence of broad wings in the [C II] lines, signatures of starburst-driven outflows. We infer an average outflow rate of. M(over dot) = 54 +/- 23M(circle dot) yr(-1), providing a loading factor eta = M(over dot)/SFR = 1.7 +/- 1.3 in agreement with observed local starbursts. Our interpretation is consistent with outcomes from zoomed hydrosimulations of Dahlia, a z similar to 6 galaxy (SFR similar to 100M(circle dot) yr(-1)), whose feedback-regulated star formation results into an outflow rate. M(over dot) similar to 30M(circle dot) yr(-1). The quality of the ALMA data is not sufficient for a detailed analysis of the [C II] line profile in individual galaxies. Nevertheless, our results suggest that starburst-driven outflows are in place in the EoR and provide useful indications for future ALMA campaigns. Deeper observations of the [C II] line in this sample are required to better characterize feedback at high-z and to understand the role of outflows in shaping early galaxy formation.

We present ALMA observations at 107.291 GHz (band 3) and 214.532 GHz (band 6) of GMASS 0953, a star-forming galaxy at z = 2.226 hosting an obscured active galactic nucleus (AGN) that has been proposed as a progenitor of compact quiescent galaxies (QGs). We measure for the first time the size of the dust and molecular gas emission of GMASS 0953 that we find to be extremely compact (similar to 1 kpc). This result, coupled with a very high interstellar medium (ISM) density (n similar to 10(5.5) cm(-3)), a low gas mass fraction (similar to 0.2), and a short gas depletion time-scale (similar to 150 Myr), implies that GMASS 0953 is experiencing an episode of intense star formation in its central region that will rapidly exhaust its gas reservoirs, likely aided by AGN-induced feedback, confirming its fate as a compact QG. Kinematic analysis of the CO(6-5) line shows evidence of rapidly rotating gas (V-rot = 320(-53)(+92) km s(-1)), as observed also in a handful of similar sources at the same redshift. On-going quenching mechanisms could either destroy the rotation or leave it intact leading the galaxy to evolve into a rotating QG.

We present a detailed analysis of the X-ray and molecular gas emission in the nearby galaxy NGC 34, to constrain the properties of molecular gas, and assess whether, and to what extent, the radiation produced by the accretion on to the central black hole affects the CO line emission. We analyse the CO spectral line energy distribution (SLED) as resulting mainly from Herschel and ALMA data, along with X-ray data from NuSTAR and XMM-Newton. The X-ray data analysis suggests the presence of a heavily obscured active galactic nucleus (AGN) with an intrinsic luminosity of L1-100 (keV) similar or equal to 4.0 x 10(42) erg s(-1). ALMA high-resolution data (theta similar or equal to 0.2 arcsec) allow us to scan the nuclear region down to a spatial scale of approximate to 100 pc for the CO(6-5) transition. We model the observed SLED using photodissociation region (PDR), X-ray-dominated region (XDR), and shock models, finding that a combination of a PDR and an XDR provides the best fit to the observations. The PDR component, characterized by gas density log(n/cm(-3)) = 2.5 and temperature T = 30 K, reproduces the low-J CO line luminosities. The XDR is instead characterized by a denser and warmer gas (log(n/cm(-3)) = 4.5, T = 65 K), and is necessary to fit the high-J transitions. The addition of a third component to account for the presence of shocks has been also tested but does not improve the fit of the CO SLED. We conclude that the AGN contribution is significant in heating the molecular gas in NGC 34.

We study the CO line luminosity (L-CO), the shape of the CO spectral line energy distribution (SLED), and the value of the CO-to-H-2 conversion factor in galaxies in the Epoch of Reionization (EoR). For this aim, we construct a model that simultaneously takes into account the radiative transfer and the clumpy structure of giant molecular clouds (GMCs) where the CO lines are excited. We then use it to post-process state-of-the-art zoomed, high resolution (30 pc), cosmological simulation of a main-sequence (M-* approximate to 10(10) M-circle dot, SFR approximate to 100M(circle dot) yr(-1)) galaxy, 'Althaea', at z approximate to 6. We find that the CO emission traces the inner molecular disc (r approximate to 0.5 kpc) of Althaea with the peak of the CO surface brightness co-located with that of the [C-II] 158 mu m emission. Its LCO(1-0) = 10(4.85) L-circle dot is comparable to that observed in local galaxies with similar stellar mass. The high (Sigma(gas) approximate to 220M(circle dot) pc(-2)) gas surface density in Althaea, its large Mach number (M approximate to 30) and the warm kinetic temperature (T-k approximate to 45 K) of GMCs yield a CO SLED peaked at the CO(7-6) transition, i.e. at relatively high-J and a CO-to-H-2 conversion factor alpha(CO) approximate to 1.5M(circle dot) (K km s(-1) pc(2))(-1) lower than that of the Milky Way. The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array observing time required to detect (resolve) at 5 sigma the CO(7-6) line from galaxies similar to Althaea is approximate to 13 h (approximate to 38 h).