Probing isotopic ratios at z = 0.89: molecular line absorption in front of the quasar PKS 1830-211

With the Plateau de Bure interferometer, we have measured the C, N, O and S isotopic abundance ratios in the arm of a spiral galaxy with a redshift of 0.89. The galaxy is seen face-on according to HST images. Its bulge intercepts the line of sight to the radio-loud quasar PKS 1830-211, giving rise at mm wavelengths to two Einstein images located each behind a spiral arm. The arms appear in absorption in the lines of several molecules, giving the opportunity to study the chemical composition of a galaxy only a few Gyr old. The isotopic ratios in this spiral galaxy differ markedly from those observed in the Milky Way. The $^{17}$O/$^{18}$O and $^{14}$N/$^{15}$N ratios are low, as one would expect from an object too young to let low mass stars play a major role in the regeneration of the gas.