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Description
Using the IRAM NOrthern Extended Millimeter Array (NOEMA), we have conducted a program to measure redshifts for thirteen bright galaxies detected in the Herschel Astrophysical Large Area Survey (H-ATLAS) with S(500)>=80mJy. We report reliable spectroscopic redshifts for twelve individual sources, which are derived from scans of the 3 and 2-mm bands, covering up to 31GHz in each band, and are based on the detection of at least two emission lines. The spectroscopic redshifts are in the range between 2.08<z<4.05 with a median value of z=2.9+/-0.6. The sources are unresolved or barely resolved on scales of 10kpc. In one field, two galaxies with different redshifts were detected. In two cases, the sources are found to be binary galaxies with projected distances of ~140kpc. The linewidths of the sources are large, with a mean value for the full width at half maximum of 700+/-300km/s and a median of 800km/s. We analyze the nature of the sources with currently available ancillary data to determine if they are lensed or hyper-luminous (LFIR>10^13^L_{sun}_) galaxies. We also present a re-analysis of the spectral energy distributions including the continuum flux densities measured at 3 and 2-mm to derive overall properties of the sources. Future prospects based on these efficient measurements of redshifts of high-z galaxies using NOEMA are outlined, including a comprehensive survey of all the brightest Herschel galaxies.
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