Artist’s impression of gas fueling distant starburst galaxies

This cartoon shows how gas falling into distant starburst galaxies ends up in vast turbulent reservoirs of cool gas extending 30 000 light-years from the central regions. ALMA has been used to detect these turbulent reservoirs of cold gas surrounding similar distant starburst galaxies. By detecting CH⁺ for the first time in the distant Universe, this research opens up a new window of exploration into a critical epoch of star formation.