Galaxy Formation Research Articles

Exploring the Cosmos: Impact and Significance of the James Webb Space Telescope

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) marks a pivotal advancement in astronomical research, building upon the legacy of its predecessors by enhancing the observational capabilities and expanding the understanding of the universe. This study explores the transformative impact of JWST, emphasizing its role in studying the formation and evolution of early galaxies, stars, and planetary systems. By utilizing its advanced infrared capabilities, JWST can penetrate cosmic dust and observe celestial phenomena that were previously obscured, thereby providing unprecedented insights into the early universe and the origins of life’s building blocks. The findings from JWST are expected to challenge existing theories and assumptions in cosmology and astrophysics, facilitating a paradigm shift in the comprehension of cosmic structures and the fundamental processes governing them. Furthermore, the telescope’s ability to analyze exoplanetary atmospheres will contribute significantly to the search for life beyond Earth. Ultimately, the JWST not only represents a technological marvel but also serves as a cornerstone for future astronomical discoveries, shaping the conception of the cosmos for generations to come.

A Tale of NGC 3785: The formation of an ultra-diffuse galaxy at the end of the longest tidal tail

We present the discovery of an extended and faint tail observed in the isolated environment associated with galaxy NGC\,3785. This study additionally provides observational evidence supporting the formation of ultra-diffuse galaxies (UDGs) at the end of the tail. We utilized the Gnuastro software to detect and analyze the low surface brightness structures in the optical $g$- and $r$-bands using data from the Dark Energy Camera Legacy Survey. We created a detection map to identify the faint tail and measured its length using cubic spline fitting. Additionally, we found 84 star-forming clumps along the tail and performed photometric analysis on the tail portion after applying a significance threshold on the signal-to-noise ratio . We have measured the projected length of the tail, which is sim 390 kpc. We propose that this tail arises from the interaction of the NGC\,3785 with a gas-rich galaxy, which ends up as a UDG at the end of the tail.

Spatially resolved spectroscopic analysis of Lyα haloes

The extended Lyα haloes (LAHs) have been found to be prevalent around high-redshift star-forming galaxies. However, the origin of the LAHs is still a subject of debate. The spatially resolved analysis of Lyα profiles provides an important diagnostic. We analyse the average spatial extent and spectral variation of the circumgalactic LAHs by stacking a sample of 155 Lyα emitters (LAEs) at redshifts of 3 < z < 4 in the MUSE Extremely Deep Field. Our analysis reveals that, with respect to the Lyα line of the target LAE, the peak of the Lyα line at large distances becomes increasingly more blueshifted up to a projected distance of 60 kpc (≈3× virial radius), with a velocity offset of ≈250 km/s. This trend is evident in both the mean and median stacks, suggesting that it is a general property of our LAE sample, which typically has a Lyα luminosity of ≈1041.1 erg s−1. However, due to the absence of systemic redshift data, it remains unclear whether the Lyα line peak at large projected distances is less redshifted compared to the inner regions or truly blueshifted with respect to the systemic velocity. We explore various scenarios to explain the large-scale kinematics of the Lyα line.

Determining the Extents, Geometries, and Kinematics of Narrow-line Region Outflows in Nearby Seyfert Galaxies

Outflowing gas from supermassive black holes in the centers of active galaxies has been postulated as a major contributor to galactic evolution. To explore the interaction between narrow-line region (NLR) outflows and their host galaxies, we use Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) spectra and Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) images of 15 nearby (z < 0.02) active galactic nuclei (AGN) to determine the extents and geometries of their NLRs. We combine new HST WFC3 continuum and [O iii] λ5007 images of 11 AGN with four archival AGN to match existing spectra from HST STIS. For the six AGN with suitable long-slit coverage of their NLRs, we use isophotal fitting of ground-based images, continuum-subtracted [O iii] images, and the STIS spectra, to resolve, measure, and de-project the gas kinematics to the plane of the host galaxy disk and distinguish NLR outflows from galaxy rotation and/or kinematically disturbed gas. We find an average [O iii] extent of ∼680 pc with a correlation between gas extent and [O iii] luminosity of R [O III] ∝ L[OIII]0.39 . The measured extents depend strongly on the depth of the [O iii] images, highlighting the importance of adopting uniform thresholds when analyzing scaling relationships. The outflows reach from 39% to 88% of the full NLR extents, and we find that all six of the AGN with STIS coverage of their entire NLRs show strong kinematic evidence for outflows, despite previous uncertainty for these AGN. This suggests that NLR outflows are ubiquitous in moderate-luminosity AGN and that standard criteria for kinematic modeling are essential for identifying outflows.

Gaia-Sausage-Enceladus star formation history as revealed by detailed elemental abundances. An archival study using SAGA data

The Gaia-Sausage-Enceladus merger was a major event in the history of the Milky Way. Debris from this merger has been extensively studied with full kinematic data from the Gaia mission. Understanding the star formation history of the progenitor galaxy aids in our understanding of the evolution of the Milky Way and galaxy formation in general. We aimed to constrain the star formation history of the Gaia-Sausage-Enceladus progenitor galaxy using elemental abundances of member stars. Previous studies on Milky Way satellite dwarf galaxies show that key elemental abundance patterns, which probe different nucleosynthetic channels, reflect the host galaxy's star formation history. We gathered Mg, Fe, Ba, and Eu abundance measurements for Gaia-Sausage-Enceladus stars from the SAGA database. Gaia-Sausage-Enceladus members were selected kinematically. Inspired by previous studies, we used Fe/Mg Ba/Mg Eu/Mg and Eu/Ba as a function of Fe/H to constrain the star formation history of Gaia-Sausage-Enceladus. We used the known star formation histories and elemental abundance patterns of the Sculptor and Fornax dwarf spheroidal galaxies as a comparison. The elemental abundance ratios of Fe/Mg Ba/Mg Eu/Mg and Eu/Ba all increase with Fe/H in Gaia-Sausage-Enceladus. The Eu/Mg begins to increase at Fe/H -2.0$ and continues steadily, contrasting with the trend observed in the Sculptor dSph galaxy. The Eu/Ba increases and remains high across the Fe/H range, unlike the pattern seen in the Sculptor dSph galaxy, and deviates from the Fornax dSph galaxy at high Fe/H . The Ba/Mg is higher than those of the Sculptor dSph galaxy at the lowest Fe/H and gradually increases, similar to the Fornax dSph galaxy. We constrained three main properties of the Gaia-Sausage-Enceladus star formation history: 1) star formation started gradually, 2) it extended for over 2 Gyr, and 3) it was quenched around Fe/H of $-0.5$, likely when it fell into the Milky Way. We show that the elemental abundance ratios Fe/Mg Ba/Mg Eu/Mg and Eu/Ba can be used to trace the star formation history of a disrupted galaxy when these measurements are available over an Fe/H range that is representative of the progenitor galaxy's stellar population.

Gas-phase metallicity gradients in galaxies at z ∼ 6–8

The study of gas-phase metallicity and its spatial distribution at high redshift is crucial to understand the processes that shaped the growth and evolution of galaxies in the early Universe. Here we study the spatially resolved metallicity in three systems at z ∼ 6 − 8, namely A2744-YD4, BDF-3299, and COSMOS24108, with JWST NIRSpec IFU low-resolution (R ∼ 100) spectroscopic observations. These are among the highest-z sources in which metallicity gradients have been probed so far. Each of these systems hosts several spatial components in the process of merging within a few kiloparsecs, identified from the rest-frame UV and optical stellar continuum and ionised gas emission line maps. The sources have heterogeneous properties, with stellar masses log(M*/M⊙) ∼7.6–9.3, star formation rates (SFRs) ∼1–15 M⊙ yr−1, and gas-phase metallicities 12+log(O/H) ∼7.7–8.3, which exhibit a large scatter within each system. Their properties are generally consistent with those of the highest-redshift samples to date (z ∼ 3 − 10), though the sources in A2744-YD4 and COSMOS24108 are at the high end of the mass-metallicity relation (MZR) defined by the z ∼ 3 − 10 sources. Moreover, the targets in this work follow the predicted slope of the MZR at z ∼ 6 − 8 from most cosmological simulations. The gas-phase metallicity gradients are consistent with being flat in the main sources of each system. Flat metallicity gradients are thought to arise from gas mixing processes on galaxy scales, such as mergers or galactic outflows and supernova winds driven by intense stellar feedback, which wash out any gradient formed in the galaxy. The existence of flat gradients at z ∼ 6 − 8 sets also important constraints on future cosmological simulations and chemical evolution models, whose predictions on the cosmic evolution of metallicity gradients often differ significantly, especially at high redshift, but are mostly limited to z ≲ 3 so far.

Deciphering the JWST spectrum of a ‘little red dot’ at z ∼ 4.53: An obscured AGN and its star-forming host

JWST has revealed a class of numerous, extremely compact sources with rest-frame red optical/near-infrared (NIR) and blue ultraviolet (UV) colours nicknamed ‘little red dots’. We present one of the highest signal-to-noise ratio JWST NIRSpec prism spectra of a little red dot, J0647_1045 at z = 4.5319 ± 0.0001, and examine its NIRCam morphology to differentiate the origin of the UV and optical/NIR emission and elucidate the nature of the little red dot phenomenon. J0647_1045 is unresolved (re ≲ 0.17 kpc) in the three NIRCam long-wavelength filters but significantly extended (re = 0.45 ± 0.06 kpc) in the three short-wavelength filters, indicating a red compact source in a blue star-forming galaxy. The spectral continuum shows a clear change in slope, from blue in the optical/UV to red in the rest-frame optical/NIR, which is consistent with two distinct components fit by power laws with different attenuations: AV = 0.38 ± 0.01 (UV) and AV = 5.61 ± 0.04 (optical/NIR). Fitting the Hα line requires both broad (full width at half maximum of ∼4300 ± 100 km s−1) and narrow components, but none of the other emission lines, including Hβ, show evidence of broadness. We calculated AV = 0.9 ± 0.4 from the Balmer decrement using narrow Hα and Hβ and AV &gt; 4.1 ± 0.1 from broad Hα and an upper limit on broad Hβ, which is consistent with blue and red continuum attenuation, respectively. Based on a single-epoch Hα line width, the mass of the central black hole is 8−0.4+0.5 × 108 M⊙. Our findings are consistent with a multi-component model, in which the optical/NIR and broad lines arise from a highly obscured, spatially unresolved region, likely a relatively massive active galactic nucleus, while the less obscured UV continuum and narrow lines arise, at least partly, from a small but spatially resolved star-forming host galaxy.

X-ray observations of Blueberry galaxies

Context. Compact star-forming galaxies were dominant galaxy types in the early Universe. Blueberry galaxies (BBs) represent their local analogues, being very compact and having intense star formation. Aims. Motivated by high X-ray emission recently found in other analogical dwarf galaxies, called Green Peas, we probed the X-ray properties of BBs to determine if their X-ray emission is consistent with the empirical laws for star-forming galaxies. Methods. We performed the first X-ray observations of a small sample of BBs with the XMM-Newton satellite. Spectral analysis for detected sources and upper limits measured via Bayesian-based analysis for very low-count measurements were used to determine the X-ray properties of our galaxy sample. Results. Clear detection was obtained for only two sources, with one source exhibiting an enhanced X-ray luminosity to the scaling relations. For the remaining five sources, only an upper limit was constrained, suggesting BBs to be rather underluminous as a whole. Our analysis shows that the large scatter cannot be easily explained by the stochasticity effects. While the bright source is above (and inconsistent with) the expected distribution at almost the 99% confidence level, the upper limits of the two sources are below the expected distribution. Conclusions. These results indicate that the empirical relations between the star formation rate, metallicity, and X-ray luminosity might not hold for BBs with uniquely high specific star formation rates. One possible explanation could be that the BBs may not be old enough to have a significant X-ray binary population. The high luminosity of the only bright source can then be caused by an additional X-ray source, such as a hidden active galactic nucleus or more extreme ultraluminous X-ray sources.

Untangling stellar components of galaxies: Evaluation of dynamical decomposition methods in simulated galaxies with GalaxyChop

Galaxy formation is intrinsically connected to the distinct evolutionary processes of disk and spheroidal systems, which are the fundamental stellar components of galaxies. Understanding the mutual, dynamical interplay and co-evolution of these components requires a detailed dynamical analysis to allow for disentanglement of these systems. We introduce JEHistogram, a new method for the dynamical decomposition of simulated galaxies into disk and spheroidal stellar components that utilizes the angular momentum and energy of star particles. We evaluate its performance against five previously established methods using a sample of equilibrium galaxies with stellar masses in the range $10^ M_ gal /M_ $. Our assessment involves several metrics, including the completeness and purity of stellar particle classification, scale lengths, mass density profiles, velocity dispersion, and rotational velocity profiles. While all methods approximate the properties of the original components, such as mass fractions and density or velocity profiles, JEHistogram demonstrates a better accuracy, particularly in the inner regions of galaxies where component overlap complicates separation. Additionally, we apply JEHistogram to a Milky Way-like galaxy from the IllustrisTNG cosmological simulations, showcasing its capability to derive properties such as the size, mass, velocity, color, and age of dynamically defined disk and spheroidal components. All the dynamical decomposition methods we analyzed are publicly accessible through the Python package GalaxyChop

A Virgo Environmental Survey Tracing Ionised Gas Emission (VESTIGE)

We examine the prevalence of truncated star-forming discs in the Virgo cluster down to M* ≃ 107 M⊙. This work makes use of deep, high-resolution imaging in the Hα+[N II] narrow-band from the Virgo Environmental Survey Tracing Ionised Gas Emission (VESTIGE) and optical imaging from the Next Generation Virgo Survey (NGVS). To aid in the understanding of the effects of the cluster environment on star formation in Virgo galaxies, we take a physically motivated approach to define the edge of the star-forming disc via a drop-off in the radial specific star formation rate profile. A comparison with the expected sizes of normal galactic discs provides a measure of how truncated star-forming discs are in the cluster. We find that truncated star-forming discs are nearly ubiquitous across all regions of the Virgo cluster, including beyond the virial radius (0.974 Mpc). The majority of truncated discs at large cluster-centric radii are of galaxies likely on their first infall. As the intra-cluster medium density is low in this region, it is difficult to explain this population with solely ram-pressure stripping. A plausible explanation is that these galaxies are undergoing starvation of their gas supply before ram-pressure stripping becomes the dominant quenching mechanism. A simple model of starvation shows that this mechanism can produce moderate disc truncations within 1−2 Gyr. This model is consistent with ‘slow-then-rapid’ or ‘delayed-then-rapid’ quenching, whereby the early starvation mode drives disc truncations without significant change to the integrated star formation rate, and the later ram-pressure stripping mode rapidly quenches the galaxy. The origin of starvation may be in the group structures that exist around the main Virgo cluster, which indicates the importance of understanding pre-processing of galaxies beyond the cluster virial radius.

The impact of UV spectra on searches for extremely metal-poor stars: A study for future CSST observations

Extremely metal-poor (EMPs, [Fe/H] &lt; −3.0) and carbon-enhanced EMP (CE-EMP, [Fe/H] &lt; −3.0 and [C/Fe]&gt; + 1.0) stars are crucial for understanding the chemical evolution and early formation of the galaxies. Current research on EMP stars is limited by small samples, and ultraviolet (UV) band spectra are lacking. The China Space Station Telescope (CSST) will provide high-quality, low-resolution spectra across wavelengths from near-ultraviolet to near-infrared, with a limiting magnitude of about 21 mag. These will help in identifying EMPs and CE-EMP candidates in the distant Milky Way and nearby galaxies. The present study first uses the simulated CSST spectra to quantitatively evaluate the contribution of UV band spectra in predicting [Fe/H], [α/Fe], and [C/Fe]. The results indicate that UV band spectra reduce the mean absolute error by 0.04, 0.04, and 0.03, respectively, with a σ of 0.02, 0.03, and 0.04, respectively. Further spectral analysis reveals that the EMP stars show unique spectral-line features in the UV band, with significant differences compared to stars of higher metallicity, which could help in identifying EMP stars. Additionally, we tested the impact of UV band spectra on identifying EMP and CE-EMP stars at different noise levels and find that models including UV band spectra improve the identification of EMP and CE-EMP stars in terms of accuracy, recall, and F1 score. At low signal-to-noise ratio (S/N), the model including the UV band achieves a recall of 0.94, significantly higher than the model without the UV band (Recall = 0.48), doubling the capability to identify EMP stars. As the S/N increases, the inclusion of the UV band maintains high recall. This suggests that UV spectra in future large surveys could reduce the risk of missing potentially interesting stellar candidates, ensuring a more comprehensive identification of all possible EMP and CE-EMP star candidates.

JWST View of Four Infant Galaxies at z = 8.31–8.49 in the MACS J0416.1−2403 Field and Implications for Reionization

New JWST/NIRCam wide-field slitless spectroscopy provides redshifts for four z > 8 galaxies located behind the lensing cluster MACS J0416.1−2403. Two of them, “Y1” and “JD,” have previously reported spectroscopic redshifts based on Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array measurements of [O iii] 88 μm and/or [C ii] 157.7 μm lines. Y1 is a merging system of three components, and the existing redshift z = 8.31 is confirmed. However, JD is at z = 8.34 instead of the previously claimed z = 9.28. JD’s close companion, “JD-N,” which was a previously discovered z > 8 candidate, is now identified at the same redshift as JD. JD and JD-N form an interacting pair. A new candidate at z > 8, “f090d_018,” is also confirmed and is at z = 8.49. These four objects are likely part of an overdensity that signposts a large structure extending ∼165 kpc in projected distance and ∼48.7 Mpc in radial distance. They are magnified by less than 1 mag and have an intrinsic M UV ranging from −19.57 to −20.83 mag. Their spectral energy distributions show that the galaxies are all very young with ages ∼ 4–18 Myr and stellar masses of about 107–8 M ⊙. These infant galaxies have very different star formation rates ranging from a few to over a hundred solar masses per year, but only two of them (JD and f090d_018) have blue rest-frame UV slopes β < −2.0 indicative of a high Lyman-continuum photon escape fraction that could contribute significantly to the cosmic hydrogen-reionizing background. Interestingly, these two galaxies are the least massive and least active ones among the four. The other two systems have much flatter UV slopes largely because of their high dust extinction (A V = 0.9–1.0 mag). Their much lower indicated escape fractions show that even very young, actively star-forming galaxies can have a negligible contribution to reionization when they quickly form dust throughout their bodies.

A Comprehensive Study of Open Cluster Chemical Homogeneity Using APOGEE and Milky Way Mapper Abundances

Stars in an open cluster are assumed to have formed from a broadly homogeneous distribution of gas, implying that they should be chemically homogeneous. Quantifying the level to which open clusters are chemically homogeneous can therefore tell us about interstellar medium pollution and gas mixing in progenitor molecular clouds. Using Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS)-V Milky Way Mapper and SDSS-IV Apache Point Observatory Galaxy Evolution Experiment DR17 abundances, we test this assumption by quantifying intrinsic chemical scatter in up to 20 different chemical abundances across 26 Milky Way open clusters. We find that we can place 3σ upper limits on open cluster homogeneity within 0.02 dex or less in the majority of elements, while for neutron capture elements, as well as those elements having weak lines, we place limits on their homogeneity within 0.2 dex. Finally, we find that giant stars in open clusters are ∼0.01 dex more homogeneous than a matched sample of field stars.

Euclid preparation

The Euclid space mission will cover over 14 000 deg2 with two optical and near-infrared spectro-photometric instruments, and is expected to detect around ten million active galactic nuclei (AGN). This unique data set will make a considerable impact on our understanding of galaxy evolution in general, and AGN in particular. For this work we identified the best colour selection criteria for AGN, based only on Euclid photometry or including ancillary photometric observations, such as the data that will be available with the Rubin Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) and observations already available from Spitzer/IRAC. The analysis was performed for unobscured AGN, obscured AGN, and composite (AGN and star-forming) objects. We made use of the spectro-photometric realisations of infrared-selected targets at all-z (SPRITZ) to create mock catalogues mimicking both the Euclid Wide Survey (EWS) and the Euclid Deep Survey (EDS). Using these mock catalogues, we estimated the best colour selection, maximising the harmonic mean (F1) of: (a) completeness, that is, the fraction of AGN correctly selected with respect to the total AGN sample; and (b) purity, that is, the fraction of AGN inside the selection with respect to the selected sample. The selection of unobscured AGN in both Euclid surveys (Wide and Deep) is possible with Euclid photometry alone with F1 = 0.22–0.23 (Wide and Deep), which can increase to F1 = 0.43–0.38 (Wide and Deep) if we limit out study to objects at z &gt; 0.7. Such a selection is improved once the Rubin/LSST filters, that is, a combination of the u, g, r, or z filters, are considered, reaching an F1 score of 0.84 and 0.86 for the EDS and EWS, respectively. The combination of a Euclid colour with the [3.6]−[4.5] colour, which is possible only in the EDS, results in an F1 score of 0.59, improving the results using only Euclid filters, but worse than the selection combining Euclid and LSST colours. The selection of composite (fAGN = 0.05–0.65 at 8–40 μm) and obscured AGN is challenging, with F1 ≤ 0.3 even when including Rubin/LSST or IRAC filters. This is unsurprising since it is driven by the similarities between the broad-band spectral energy distribution of these AGN and star-forming galaxies in the wavelength range 0.3–5 μm.

Correction to: Contribution of astrophysical events to the chemical evolution of a dwarf irregular galaxy

Correction to: Contribution of astrophysical events to the chemical evolution of a dwarf irregular galaxy

Lyman Limit System with O vi in the Circumgalactic Environment of a Pair of Galaxies

We report on the analysis of a multiphase Lyman limit system (LLS) at z = 0.39047 identified toward the background quasar FBQS J0209–0438. The O VI doublet lines associated with this absorber have a different profile from the low-ionization metals and H i. Ly α has a very broad H i (b ≈ 150 km s−1) component well-aligned with one of the O VI components. The Doppler b-parameters for the broad H i and O VI indicate gas with T = (0.8 − 2.0) × 106 K and a total hydrogen column density that is an order of magnitude larger than the cooler phase of gas responsible for the LLS. Observations by the Very Large Telescope MUSE show two moderately star-forming galaxies within ρ ≲ 105 kpc and ∣Δv∣ ≲ 130 km s−1 of the absorber, one of them a dwarf galaxy (M * ≈ 106 M ⊙) overlapping with the quasar point-spread function, and the other a larger galaxy (R 1/2 ≈ 4 kpc) with M * ≈ 3 × 1010 M ⊙ and M h ≈ 7 × 1011 M ⊙, and the dwarf galaxy within its virial radius. Although the absorption is aligned with the extended major axis of the larger galaxy, the line-of-sight velocity of the absorbing gas is inconsistent with corotating accretion. The metallicity inferred for the LLS is lower than the gas phase [O/H] of the two galaxies. The mixture of cool and warm/hot gas phases for the absorbing gas and its proximity and orientation to the galaxy pair points to the LLS being a high-velocity gas in the combined halo environment of both galaxies.

To High Redshift and Low Mass: Exploring the Emergence of Quenched Galaxies and Their Environments at 3 < z < 6 in the Ultra-deep JADES MIRI F770W Parallel

We present the robust selection of high-redshift quiescent galaxies (QG) and poststarburst (PSB) galaxies using ultra-deep NIRCam and MIRI imaging from the JWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey (JADES). At 3 < z < 6, MIRI 7.7 μm imaging provides rest-frame J band, which is commonly used to break the degeneracy between old stellar populations and dust attenuation at lower redshifts. We identify 23 passively evolving galaxies in UVJ color space in a mass-limited (log M ⋆/M ⊙ ≥ 8.5) sample over 8.8 arcmin2. An evaluation of the contribution of the 7.7 μm shows that JADES-like NIRCam coverage (9+ photometric bands) can compensate for lacking the J band at these redshifts; however, more limited three-band selections perform better with MIRI. Our sample is characterized by rapid quenching timescales (∼100–600 Myr) with formation redshifts z f ≲ 9 and includes a potential record-holding massive QG at zphot=5.33−0.17+0.16 and two QGs with evidence for significant residual dust content (A V ∼ 1–2). In addition, we present a large sample of 12 log M ⋆/M ⊙ = 8.5–9.5 PSBs, demonstrating that UVJ selection can be extended to low mass. An analysis of the environment of our sample reveals that the group known as the Cosmic Rose contains a massive QG and a dust-obscured star-forming galaxy (a so-called Jekyll and Hyde pair) plus three additional QGs within ∼20 kpc. Moreover, the Cosmic Rose is part of a larger overdensity at z ∼ 3.7, which contains 7/12 of our low-mass PSBs. Another four low-mass PSBs are members of an overdensity at z ∼ 3.4; this result strongly indicates low-mass PSBs are preferentially associated with overdense environments at z > 3.

The tight correlation between PAH and CO emission from z ∼ 0 to 4

Aims. The cold molecular gas mass is one of the crucial, yet challenging, parameters in galaxy evolution studies. Here, we introduce a new calibration and a method for estimating molecular gas masses using mid-infrared (MIR) photometry. This topic is timely as the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) now allows us to detect the MIR emission of typical main-sequence galaxies across a wide range of masses and star formation rates with modest time investments. Additionally, this Letter highlights the strong synergy between ALMA and JWST for studies of dust and gas at cosmic noon. Methods. We combined a sample of 14 main-sequence galaxies at z = 1 − 3 with robust CO detections and multi-band MIR photometry, along with a literature sample at z = 0 − 4 with CO and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) spectroscopy, to study the relationship between PAH, CO(1–0), and total IR luminosities. PAH luminosities are derived by modelling a wealth of rest-frame UV to sub-millimetre data. The new z = 1 − 3 sample extends previous high-z studies to PAH and CO luminosities that are about an order of magnitude lower, into the regime of local starbursts, for the first time. Results. The PAH-to-CO luminosity ratio remains constant across a wide range of luminosities, for various galaxy types, and throughout the explored redshift range. In contrast, the PAH-to-IR and CO-to-IR luminosity ratios deviate from a constant value at high IR luminosities. The intrinsic scatter in the L(PAH)–L′(CO) relation is 0.21 dex, with a median of 1.40 and a power-law slope of 1.07 ± 0.04. Both the PAH–IR and CO–IR relations are sub-linear. Given the tight and uniform PAH–CO relation over ∼3 orders of magnitude, we provide a recipe for estimating the cold molecular gas mass of galaxies from PAH luminosities, with a PAH-to-molecular gas conversion factor of αPAH7.7 = (3.08 ± 1.08)(4.3/αCO) M⊙/L⊙. This method opens a new window to explore the gas content of galaxies beyond the local Universe using multi-wavelength JWST/MIRI imaging.

Observational evidence for the AGN wind as a regulator of galaxy evolution

Observational evidence for the AGN wind as a regulator of galaxy evolution

Extreme emission line galaxies detected in JADES JWST/NIRSpec – I. Inferred galaxy properties

ABSTRACT Extreme emission line galaxies (EELGs) exhibit large equivalent widths (EW) in their rest-optical emission lines ([O iii]$\lambda 5007$ or H $\alpha$ rest-frame EW$\gt 750$ Å) which can be tied to a recent upturn in star formation rate (SFR), due to the sensitivity of the nebular line emission and the rest-optical continuum to young ($\lt 10$ Myr) and evolved stellar populations, respectively. By studying a sample of 85 star-forming galaxies (SFGs), spanning the redshift and magnitude interval $3 \lt z\lt 9.5$ and $-16\gt $M$\rm _{UV}\gt -21$, in the JWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey (JADES) with NIRSpec/prism spectroscopy, we determine that SFGs initiate an EELG phase when entering a significant burst of star formation, with the highest EWs observed in EELGs with the youngest luminosity-weighted ages ($\lt 5$ Myr) and the highest burst intensity (those with the greatest excess between their current and long-term average SFR). We spectroscopically confirm that a greater proportion of SFGs are in an EELG phase at high redshift in our UV-selected sample ($61\pm 4~{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ in our $z\gt 5.7$ high-redshift bin, compared to $23^{+4}_{-1}\%$ in our lowest redshift bin $3\lt z\lt 4.1$) due to the combined evolution of metallicity, ionization parameter, and star formation histories with redshift. We report that the EELGs within our sample exhibit a higher average ionization efficiency ($\log _{10}(\xi _\mathrm{ion}^\mathrm{HII}/{\rm erg^{-1}Hz}) =25.5\pm 0.2$) than the non-EELGs. High-redshift EELGs therefore comprise a population of efficient ionizing photon producers. Additionally, we report that 53 per cent (9/17) of EELGs at $z\gt 5.7$ have observed Ly $\alpha$ emission, potentially lying within large ionized regions. The high detection rate of Ly $\alpha$ emitters in our EELG selection suggests that the physical conditions associated with entering an EELG phase also promote the escape of Ly $\alpha$ photons.