Abstract
The physical properties and elemental abundances of the interstellar medium
in galaxies during cosmic reionization are important for understanding the role
of galaxies in this process. We report the Atacama Large
Millimeter/submillimeter Array detection of an oxygen emission line at a
wavelength of 88 micrometers from a galaxy at an epoch about 700 million years
after the Big Bang. The oxygen abundance of this galaxy is estimated at about
one-tenth that of the Sun. The non-detection of far-infrared continuum emission
indicates a deficiency of interstellar dust in the galaxy. A carbon emission
line at a wavelength of 158 micrometers is also not detected, implying an
unusually small amount of neutral gas. These properties might allow ionizing
photons to escape into the intergalactic medium.
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