分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19
摘要: JWST observations confirm the existence of galaxies as early as 300Myr and at a higher number density than expected based on galaxy formation models and HST observations. Yet, sources confirmed spectroscopically in the first 500Myr have estimated stellar masses $8$, we identify evidence of absorption lines (Si, C and Fe), with low confidence individual detections but SNR$>6$ when stacked. The absorption features suggest that Ly$\alpha$ is damped by the interstellar and circumgalactic medium. Our observations provide evidence of rapid efficient build-up of mass and metals in the immediate aftermath of the Big Bang through mergers, demonstrating that massive galaxies with several billion stars exist earlier than expected.
分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19
摘要: We report the detection of a high density of redshift $z\approx 10$ galaxies behind the foreground cluster Abell 2744, selected from imaging data obtained recently with NIRCam onboard JWST by three programs -- GLASS-JWST, UNCOVER, and DDT-2756. To ensure robust estimates of the lensing magnification $\mu$, we use an improved version of our model that exploits the first epoch of NIRCam images and newly obtained MUSE spectra, and avoids regions with $\mu>5$ where the uncertainty may be higher. We detect seven bright $z\approx 10$ galaxies with demagnified rest-frame $-22 \lesssim M_{\rm UV}\lesssim -19$ mag, over an area of $\sim37$ sq. arcmin. Taking into account photometric incompleteness and the effects of lensing on luminosity and cosmological volume, we find that the density of $z\approx 10$ galaxies in the field is about $10\times$ ($3\times$) larger than the average at $M_{UV}\approx -21 (-20)$ mag reported so far. The density is even higher when considering only the GLASS-JWST data, which are the depeest and the least affected by magnification and incompleteness. The GLASS-JWST field contains 5 out of 7 galaxies, distributed along an apparent filamentary structure of 2 Mpc in projected length, and includes a close pair of candidates with $M_{\rm UV}< -20$ mag having a projected separation of only 16 kpc. These findings suggest the presence of a $z\approx 10$ overdensity in the field. In addition to providing excellent targets for efficient spectroscopic follow-up observations, our study confirms the high density of bright galaxies observed in early JWST observations, but calls for multiple surveys along independent lines of sight to achieve an unbiased estimate of their average density and a first estimate of their clustering.
分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19
摘要: We combine the superior JWST/NIRCam imaging and MUSE data to characterize the properties of galaxies in different environmental conditions in the cluster Abell2744 (z=0.3064) and in its immediate surroundings. Our most striking result is the discovery of a ``red-excess'' population in F200W-F444W colors both in the cluster regions and the field. These galaxies have normal F115W-F150W colors, but are up to 0.8 mag redder than red sequence galaxies in F200W-F444W. They also have rather blue rest frame B-V colors. Galaxies with the largest color deviations are found in the field and at the cluster virial radius, suggesting that mechanisms taking place in these regions might be more effective in producing these colors. Looking at their morphology, many cluster galaxies show signatures consistent with ram pressure stripping, while field galaxies have features resembling interactions and mergers. Our hypothesis is that these galaxies are characterized by dust enshrouded star formation: a JWST/NIRSpec spectrum for one of the galaxies is dominated by a strong PAH at 3.3mu m, suggestive of dust obscured star formation. Larger spectroscopic samples are needed to understand if the color excess is due exclusively to dust-obscured star formation, and the role of environment in triggering it.
分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19
摘要: The appearance of galaxies over the first billion years after the Big Bang is believed to be responsible for the last dramatic change in the state of the Universe. Ultraviolet photons from galaxies within this time period - the Epoch of Reionization - ionized intergalactic Hydrogen, rendering the Universe transparent to UV radiation and ending the so-called cosmic Dark Ages, sometime after redshift $z\sim8$. The majority of ionizing photons in the first few hundred Myrs of cosmic history are thought to derive from galaxies significantly fainter than the characteristic luminosity $L^{*}$. These faint galaxies are thought to be surrounded by sufficient neutral gas to prevent the escape of the Lyman-$\alpha$ photons that would allow confirmation with current observatories. Here we demonstrate the power of the recently commissioned James Webb Space Telescope to transform our understanding of the sources of reionization, by reporting the first spectroscopic confirmation of a very low luminosity ($\sim0.05 L^{*}$) galaxy at $z=9.76$, observed 480 Myr after the Big Bang, via the detection of the Lyman-break and redward continuum with the NIRSpec and NIRCam instruments. The galaxy JD1 is gravitationally magnified by a factor of $\mu\sim13$ by the foreground cluster A2744. The power of JWST and lensing allows us to peer deeper than ever before into the cosmic Dark Ages, revealing the compact ($\sim$150 pc) and complex morphology and physical properties of an ultrafaint galaxy ($M_{\rm UV}=-17.45$).
分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19
摘要: We present the spectroscopic confirmation of a protocluster at $z=7.88$ behind the galaxy cluster Abell2744 (hereafter A2744-z7p9OD). Using JWST NIRSpec, we find seven galaxies within a projected radius of 60kpc. Although the galaxies reside in an overdensity around $>20\times$ greater than a random volume, they do not show strong Lyman-alpha emission. We place 2-$\sigma$ upper limits on the rest-frame equivalent width $ 0.45$ (68% CI). Using an empirical $M_{\rm UV}$-$M_{\rm halo}$ relation for individual galaxies, we estimate that the total halo mass of the system is $\gtrsim 4\times10^{11}\,M_\odot$. Likewise, the line of sight velocity dispersion is estimated to be $1100 \pm 200$km/s. Using an empirical relation, we estimate the present-day halo mass of A2744-z7p9OD to be $\sim2\times10^{15}\,M_\odot$, comparable to the Coma cluster. A2744-z7p9OD is the highest redshift spectroscopically confirmed protocluster to date, demonstrating the power of JWST to investigate the connection between dark-matter halo assembly and galaxy formation at very early times with medium-deep observations at $<20$hrs total exposure time. Follow-up spectroscopy of the remaining photometric candidates of the overdensity will further refine the features of this system and help characterize the role of such overdensities in cosmic reionization.