Kinematics of star-forming galaxies at cosmic noon

Abstract

In this talk, I will present results from the KMOS Lensing Survey (KLENS) and KMOS Lens-Amplified Spectroscopic Survey (KLASS) that are exploiting gravitational lensing to study low-mass star-forming galaxies at 0.6<z<3.5. These star-forming galaxies are particularly interesting since they are Milky Way progenitors at this epoch. I will discuss how the kinematic properties of these galaxies around the peak of the cosmic star formation rate density differ from massive galaxies which have been analysed so far. I will also show results from our recent ALMA observations of two strongly lensed z~1 main-sequence galaxies and from a nearby galaxy sample, called DYNAMO, showing similar physical properties to high-redshift main-sequence galaxies. These observations allow us to compare the molecular and ionised gas kinematics at high spatial resolution for the first time (few hundred parsec in our z~1 galaxies). I will explain how this help us to better understand what drives star formation and the turbulence in galaxies at this epoch.