Redshifting galaxies from DESI to JWST CEERS: Correction of biases and uncertainties in quantifying morphology

Observations of high-redshift galaxies with unprecedented detail have now been rendered possible with JWST. However, accurately quantifying their morphology remains uncertain due to potential biases and uncertainties. To address this issue, we used a sample of 1816 nearby DESI galaxies, with a mass range of $10^{9.75-11.25}M_{\odot}$, to compute artificial images of galaxies of the same mass located at $0.75\leq z\leq 3$ and observed at rest-frame optical wavelength in CEERS. We analyzed the effects of cosmological redshift on the measurements of Petrosian radius ($R_p$), half-light radius ($R_{50}$), asymmetry ($A$), concentration ($C$), axis ratio ($q$), and S\'ersic index ($n$). Our results show that $R_p$ and $R_{50}$, calculated using non-parametric methods, are slightly overestimated due to PSF smoothing, while $R_{50}$, $q$, and $n$ obtained through model fitting does not exhibit significant biases. We improve the computation of $A$ by incorporating a more accurate noise effect removal procedure. Due to PSF asymmetry, there is a minor overestimation of $A$ for intrinsically symmetric galaxies. However, for intrinsically asymmetric galaxies, PSF smoothing dominates and results in an underestimation of $A$, an effect that becomes more significant with higher intrinsic $A$ or at lower resolutions. Moreover, PSF smoothing also leads to an underestimation of $C$, which is notably more pronounced in galaxies with higher intrinsic $C$ or at lower resolutions. We developed functions based on resolution level, defined as $R_p/$FWHM, for correcting these biases and the associated statistical uncertainties. Applying these corrections, we measured the bias-corrected morphology for the simulated CEERS images and we find that the derived quantities are in good agreement with their intrinsic values -- except for $A$, which is robust only for angularly large galaxies where $R_p/{\rm FWHM}\geq 5$.Comment: 21 pages, 17 figures; A&A in pres

Luminous Lyman-alpha Emitters with Very Blue UV-continuum Slopes at Redshift 5.7 <= z <= 6.6

We study six luminous Lyman-alpha emitters (LAEs) with very blue rest-frame UV continua at $5.7\le z \le 6.6$. These LAEs have previous HST and Spitzer IRAC observations. Combining our newly acquired HST images, we find that their UV-continuum slopes $\beta$ are in a range of $-3.4\le \beta \le -2.6$. Unlike previous, tentative detections of $\beta \simeq -3$ in photometrically selected, low-luminosity galaxies, our LAEs are spectroscopically confirmed and luminous ($M_{\rm UV}<-20$ mag). We model their broadband spectral energy distributions (SEDs), and find that two $\beta\simeq-2.6\pm0.2$ galaxies can be well fitted with young and dust-free stellar populations. However, it becomes increasingly difficult to fit bluer galaxies. We explore further interpretations by including non-zero LyC escape fraction $f_{\rm esc}$, very low metallicities, and/or AGN contributions. Assuming $f_{\rm esc}\simeq0.2$, we achieve the bluest slopes $\beta\simeq-2.7$ when nebular emission is considered. This can nearly explain the SEDs of two galaxies with $\beta\simeq-2.8$ and --2.9 ($\sigma_{\beta}=0.15$). Larger $f_{\rm esc}$ values and very low metallicities are not favored by the strong nebular line emission (evidenced by the IRAC flux) or the observed (IRAC 1 - IRAC 2) color. Finally, we find that the $\beta\simeq-2.9$ galaxy can potentially be well explained by the combination of a very young population with a high $f_{\rm esc}$ ($\ge0.5$) and an old, dusty population. We are not able to produce two $\beta \simeq -3.4 \pm0.4$ galaxies. Future deep spectroscopic observations are needed to fully understand these galaxies.Comment: Published in ApJ on 2020 Feb 1; Authors' version (9 pages); See published version at https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/ab64e

The Mass-Metallicity Relation of Dwarf Galaxies at the Cosmic Noon in the JWST Era

We present the mass-metallicity relation (MZR) at $z=2-3$ in the stellar mass range of $M_\star\approx 10^{6.5}-10^{9.5}M_\odot$ using 55 dwarf galaxies in the Abell 2744 and SMACS J0723-3732 galaxy cluster fields. These dwarf galaxies are identified and confirmed by deep JWST/NIRISS imaging and slitless grism spectroscopic observations. Taking advantage of the gravitational lensing effect, we extend the previous MZR relation at $z=2-3$ to a much lower mass regime by more than 2.5 orders of magnitude compared with previous studies. We find that the MZR has a shallower slope at the low-mass end ($M_\star<10^{9}M_\odot$) compared to that at the high-mass end ($M_\star>10^{9}M_\odot$), with a slope turnover point at around the stellar mass of $10^9 M_\odot$. This implies that dominating feedback processes in dwarf galaxies may be different from that in galaxies with higher mass. From $z=3$ to $z=2$, the metallicity of the dwarf galaxies is enhanced by $\approx0.1$ dex for a given stellar mass, consistent with the mild evolution found in galaxies with higher mass. Further, we confirm the existence of a 3D relation between the gas-phase metallicity, stellar mass, and star formation rate, i.e., fundamental metallicity relation (FMR), in dwarf galaxies at $z=2-3$. Our derived FMR, which has no significant redshift evolution, can be used as a benchmark to understand the origin of the anti-correlation between SFR and metallicity of dwarf galaxies in the high-redshift Universe.Comment: 16 pages, 4 figures, 1 table, submitted to AAS Journal; welcome comment

JWST and ALMA imaging of dust-obscured, massive substructures in a typical z∼3z \sim 3 star-forming disk galaxy

We present an identification of dust-attenuated star-forming galactic-disk substructures in a typical star-forming galaxy (SFG), UDF2, at $z = 2.696$. To date, substructures containing significant buildup of stellar mass and actively forming stars have yet to be found in typical (i.e., main-sequence) SFGs at $z > 2$. This is due to the strong dust attenuation common in massive galaxies at the epoch and the scarcity of high-resolution, high-sensitivity extinction-independent imaging. To search for disk substructures, we subtracted the central stellar-mass disk from the JWST/NIRCam rest-frame 1.2 $\mu$m image ($0.13''$ resolution) and subtracted, in the visibility plane, the central starburst disk from ALMA rest-frame 240 $\mu$m observations ($0.03''$ resolution). The residual images revealed substructures at rest-frame 1.2 $\mu$m co-located with those found at rest-frame 240 $\mu$m, $\simeq 2$ kpc away from the galactic center. The largest substructure contains $\simeq20$% of the total stellar mass and $\simeq5$% of the total SFR of the galaxy. While UDF2 exhibits a kinematically-ordered velocity field of molecular gas consistent with a secularly evolving disk, more sensitive observations are required to characterize the nature and the origin of this substructure (spiral arms, minor merger, or other types of disk instabilities). UDF2 resides in an overdense region ($N \geqslant 4$ massive galaxies within 70 kpc projected distance at $z=2.690-2.697$) and the substructures may be associated with interaction-induced instabilities. Importantly, a statistical sample of such substructures identified with JWST and ALMA could play a key role in bridging the gap between the bulge-forming starburst and the rest of the galaxy.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures; ApJL, accepte

ALMA Lensing Cluster Survey: Properties of Millimeter Galaxies Hosting X-ray Detected Active Galactic Nuclei

We report the multi-wavelength properties of millimeter galaxies hosting X-ray detected active galactic nuclei (AGNs) from the ALMA Lensing Cluster Survey (ALCS). ALCS is an extensive survey of well-studied lensing clusters with ALMA, covering an area of 133 arcmin$^2$ over 33 clusters with a 1.2 mm flux-density limit of ${\sim}$60 $\mathrm{\mu Jy}$ ($1\sigma$). Utilizing the archival data of Chandra, we identify three AGNs at $z=$1.06, 2.09, and 2.84 among the 180 millimeter sources securely detected in the ALCS (of which 155 are inside the coverage of Chandra). The X-ray spectral analysis shows that two AGNs are not significantly absorbed ($\log N_{\mathrm{H}}/\mathrm{cm}^{-2} < 23$), while the other shows signs of moderate absorption ($\log N_{\mathrm{H}}/\mathrm{cm}^{-2}\sim 23.5$). We also perform spectral energy distribution (SED) modelling of X-ray to millimeter photometry. We find that our X-ray AGN sample shows both high mass accretion rates (intrinsic 0.5--8 keV X-ray luminosities of ${\sim}10^{\text{44--45}}\,\mathrm{erg\ s^{-1}}$) and star-formation rates (${\gtrsim}100\,M_{\odot}\,\mathrm{yr}^{-1}$). This demonstrates that a wide-area survey with ALMA and Chandra can selectively detect intense growth of both galaxies and supermassive black holes (SMBHs) in the high-redshift universe.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures, 2 table

ALMA Lensing Cluster Survey: Full Spectral Energy Distribution Analysis of z ∼ 0.5–6 Lensed Galaxies Detected with millimeter Observations

Sub/millimeter galaxies are a key population for the study of galaxy evolution because the majority of star formation at high redshifts occurred in galaxies deeply embedded in dust. To search for this population, we have performed an extensive survey with Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), called the ALMA Lensing Cluster Survey (ALCS). This survey covers 133 arcmin2 area and securely detects 180 sources at z ∼ 0.5–6 with a flux limit of ∼0.2 mJy at 1.2 mm. Here, we report the results of multiwavelength spectral energy distribution analysis of the whole ALCS sample, utilizing the observed-frame UV to millimeter photometry. We find that the majority of the ALCS sources lie on the star-forming main sequence, with a smaller fraction showing intense starburst activities. The ALCS sample contains high infrared-excess sources ( IRX=log(Ldust/LUV)>1 ), including two extremely dust-obscured galaxies (IRX > 5). We also confirm that the ALCS sample probes a broader range in lower dust mass than conventional submillimeter galaxy samples in the same redshift range. We identify six heavily obscured active galactic nucleus (AGN) candidates that are not detected in the archival Chandra data in addition to the three X-ray AGNs reported by Uematsu et al. (2023). The inferred AGN luminosity density shows a possible excess at z = 2–3 compared with that determined from X-ray surveys below 10 keV

Metal-Enriched Neutral Gas Reservoir around a Strongly-lensed, Low-mass Galaxy at z=4z=4 Identified by JWST/NIRISS and VLT/MUSE

Direct observations of low-mass, low-metallicity galaxies at $z\gtrsim4$ provide an indispensable opportunity for detailed inspection of the ionization radiation, gas flow, and metal enrichment in sources similar to those that reionized the Universe. Combining the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), VLT/MUSE, and ALMA, we present detailed observations of a strongly lensed, low-mass ($\approx 10^{7.6}$ ${\rm M}_\odot$) galaxy at $z=3.98$ (also see Vanzella et al. 2022). We identify strong narrow nebular emission, including CIV $\lambda\lambda1548,1550$, HeII $\lambda1640$, OIII] $\lambda\lambda1661,1666$, [NeIII] $\lambda3868$, [OII] $\lambda3727$, and Balmer series of Hydrogen from this galaxy, indicating a metal-poor HII region ($\lesssim 0.12\ {\rm Z}_\odot$) powered by massive stars. Further, we detect a metal-enriched damped Ly$\alpha$ system (DLA) associated with the galaxy with the HI column density of $N_{\rm{HI}}\approx 10^{21.8}$ cm$^{-2}$. The metallicity of the associated DLA may reach the super solar metallicity (${\gtrsim Z}_\odot$). Moreover, thanks to JWST and gravitational lensing, we present the resolved UV slope ($\beta$) map at the spatial resolution of $\approx 100$ pc at $z=4$, with steep UV slopes reaching $\beta \approx -2.5$ around three star-forming clumps. Combining with low-redshift analogs, our observations suggest that low-mass, low-metallicity galaxies, which dominate reionization, could be surrounded by a high covering fraction of the metal-enriched, neutral-gaseous clouds. This implies that the metal enrichment of low-mass galaxies is highly efficient, and further support that in low-mass galaxies, only a small fraction of ionizing radiation can escape through the interstellar or circumgalactic channels with low column-density neutral gas.Comment: 4 pages, 1 table; submitted to the ApJL; welcome comment

JADES: Using NIRCam Photometry to Investigate the Dependence of Stellar Mass Inferences on the IMF in the Early Universe

The detection of numerous and relatively bright galaxies at redshifts z > 9 has prompted new investigations into the star-forming properties of high-redshift galaxies. Using local forms of the initial mass function (IMF) to estimate stellar masses of these galaxies from their light output leads to galaxy masses that are at the limit allowed for the state of the LambdaCDM Universe at their redshift. We explore how varying the IMF assumed in studies of galaxies in the early universe changes the inferred values for the stellar masses of these galaxies. We infer galaxy properties with the SED fitting code Prospector using varying IMF parameterizations for a sample of 102 galaxies from the JWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey (JADES) spectroscopically confirmed to be at z > 6.7, with additional photometry from the JWST Extragalactic Medium Band Survey (JEMS) for twenty-one galaxies. We demonstrate that models with stellar masses reduced by a factor of three or more do not affect the modeled spectral energy distribution (SED).Comment: The Significance statement is required for PNAS submissio