Herschel-ATLAS: Properties of dusty massive galaxies at low and high
  redshifts
  We present a comparison of the physical properties of a rest-frame $250\mu$m
selected sample of massive, dusty galaxies from $0<z<5.3$. Our sample comprises
29 high-redshift submillimetre galaxies (SMGs) from the literature, and 843
dusty galaxies at $z<0.5$ from the Herschel-ATLAS, selected to have a similar
stellar mass to the SMGs. The $z>1$ SMGs have an average SFR of
$390^{+80}_{-70}\,$M$_\odot$yr$^{-1}$ which is 120 times that of the
low-redshift sample matched in stellar mass to the SMGs (SFR$=3.3\pm{0.2}$
M$_\odot$yr$^{-1}$). The SMGs harbour a substantial mass of dust
($1.2^{+0.3}_{-0.2}\times{10}^9\,$M$_\odot$), compared to
$(1.6\pm0.1)\times{10}^8\,$M$_\odot$ for low-redshift dusty galaxies. At low
redshifts the dust luminosity is dominated by the diffuse ISM, whereas a large
fraction of the dust luminosity in SMGs originates from star-forming regions.
At the same dust mass SMGs are offset towards a higher SFR compared to the
low-redshift H-ATLAS galaxies. This is not only due to the higher gas fraction
in SMGs but also because they are undergoing a more efficient mode of star
formation, which is consistent with their bursty star-formation histories. The
offset in SFR between SMGs and low-redshift galaxies is similar to that found
in CO studies, suggesting that dust mass is as good a tracer of molecular gas
as CO.
