Identification and properties of intense star-forming galaxies at redshifts z > 10

• DOI: 10.17863/cam.97182
• Publication Date: 2023-04-04
• Authors: Robertson, BE; Tacchella, S; Johnson, BD; Hainline, K; Whitler, L; Eisenstein, DJ; Endsley, R; Rieke, M; Stark, DP; Alberts, S; Dressler, A; Egami, E; Hausen, R; Rieke, G; Shivaei, I; Williams, CC; Willmer, CNA; Arribas, S; Bonaventura, N; Bunker, A; Cameron, AJ; Carniani, S; Charlot, S; Chevallard, J; Curti, M; Curtis-Lake, E; D’Eugenio, F; Jakobsen, P; Looser, TJ; Lützgendorf, N; Maiolino, R; Maseda, MV; Rawle, T; Rix, HW; Smit, R; Übler, H; Willott, C; Witstok, J; Baum, S; Bhatawdekar, R; Boyett, K; Chen, Z; De Graaff, A; Florian, M; Helton, JM; Hviding, RE; Ji, Z; Kumari, N; Lyu, J; Nelson, E; Sandles, L; Saxena, A; Suess, KA; Sun, F; Topping, M; Wallace, IEB
• Keywords: FORMATION HISTORY; Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics (astro-ph.CO); ULTRAVIOLET; FOS: Physical sciences; Formation history; stellar; distributions; ultraviolet; 5109 Space Sciences; 1ST; Astrophysics - Astrophysics of Galaxies; 01 natural sciences; STELLAR; 5101 Astronomical Sciences; Astrophysics of Galaxies (astro-ph.GA); 0103 physical sciences; DISTRIBUTIONS; [PHYS.ASTR] Physics [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]; 51 Physical Sciences; Astrophysics - Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics

Surveys with James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have discovered candidate galaxies in the first 400 Myr of cosmic time. Preliminary indications have suggested these candidate galaxies may be more massive and abundant than previously thought. However, without confirmed distances, their inferred properties remain uncertain. Here we identify four galaxies located in the JWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey (JADES) Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) imaging with photometric redshifts z~10-13. These galaxies include the first redshift z>12 systems discovered with distances spectroscopically confirmed by JWST in a companion paper. Using stellar population modelling, we find the galaxies typically contain a hundred million solar masses in stars, in stellar populations that are less than one hundred million years old. The moderate star formation rates and compact sizes suggest elevated star formation rate surface densities, a key indicator of their formation pathways. Taken together, these measurements show that the first galaxies contributing to cosmic reionisation formed rapidly and with intense internal radiation fields.<br/>Author version of manuscript, please visit Nature Astronomy for the version published 04 April 2023<br/>