APM 08279+5255 CO(4-3) spectrum

We report the detection of blueshifted CO(4-3) with maximum velocity (v95%) of -1340km/s, with respect to the systemic peak emission, and a luminosity of L'=9.9x10^9^{mu}^-1^K.km/s/pc^2^, where {mu} is the lensing magnification factor. We discuss various scenarios for the nature of this emission and conclude that this is the first detection of fast molecular gas at redshift >3.

We derived a mass flow rate of molecular gas in the range dM/dt=3-7.4x10^3^M_{sun}_/yr and momentum boost (dP_OF_/dt)/(dP_AGN_/dt)~2-6, which is therefore consistent with a momentum conserving flow. For the largest dP_OF_ the scaling is also consistent with an energy conserving flow with an efficiency of ~10-20%. The present data can hardly discriminate between the two expansion modes.