SPT 0538-50: Physical conditions in the ISM of a strongly lensed dusty
  star-forming galaxy at z=2.8
  We present observations of SPT-S J053816-5030.8, a gravitationally-lensed
dusty star forming galaxy (DSFG) at z = 2.7817, first discovered at millimeter
wavelengths by the South Pole Telescope. SPT 0538-50 is typical of the
brightest sources found by wide-field millimeter-wavelength surveys, being
lensed by an intervening galaxy at moderate redshift (in this instance, at z =
0.441). We present a wide array of multi-wavelength spectroscopic and
photometric data on SPT 0538-50, including data from ALMA, Herschel PACS and
SPIRE, Hubble, Spitzer, VLT, ATCA, APEX, and the SMA. We use high resolution
imaging from HST to de-blend SPT 0538-50, separating DSFG emission from that of
the foreground lens. Combined with a source model derived from ALMA imaging
(which suggests a magnification factor of 21 +/- 4), we derive the intrinsic
properties of SPT 0538-50, including the stellar mass, far-IR luminosity, star
formation rate, molecular gas mass, and - using molecular line fluxes - the
excitation conditions within the ISM. The derived physical properties argue
that we are witnessing compact, merger-driven star formation in SPT 0538-50,
similar to local starburst galaxies, and unlike that seen in some other DSFGs
at this epoch.
