A Preview of JWST Metallicity Studies at Cosmic Noon: The First Detection of Auroral [O ii] Emission at High Redshift*

Shapley, Alice E.; Clarke, L.; Topping, Michael W.; Reddy, Naveen A.; Kriek, Mariska; Jones, Tucker; Stark, Daniel P.; Tang, Mengtao

doi:10.3847/1538-4357/aca9cc

Cited by 13 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 114 publications

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“…Two of the CEERS [O iii]λ4364-emitters, 11088 (z = 3.302) and 3788 (z = 2.295), also display detections of the auroral [O ii]λλ7322,7332 emission line doublet, shown in Figure 3. The first detections of the [O ii] auroral lines at high redshift were recently reported by Sanders et al (2023b). To our knowledge, these new detections represent only the second time [O ii]λλ7322,7332 has been reported beyond the lowredshift universe.…”

Section: Ceers Auroral-line Sample Selectionmentioning

confidence: 61%

“…This sample is predominantly made up of the sample presented in Sanders et al (2020) that totals 18 targets including several from literature sources (Villar-Martín et al 2004;Brammer et al 2012;Christensen et al 2012a,b;Stark et al 2013Stark et al , 2014Bayliss et al 2014;James et al 2014;Sanders et al 2016b;Kojima et al 2017;Berg et al 2018). We supplement this sample with a [O iii]λ4364-detected galaxy from Gburek et al (2019) and two galaxies with detected [O ii] auroral emission lines presented in Sanders et al (2023b). We do not include composite spectra (e.g., Steidel et al 2016;Gburek et al 2022), but instead limit to individual sources.…”

Section: Ground-based Auroral-line Samplementioning

confidence: 99%

“…This ground-based sample includes 8 galaxies with [O iii]λ4364 detections, 11 with O iii]λ1666 detections, and 2 with [O ii]λλ7322,32 detections. For the ground-based sample, we adopt the reddening-corrected line ratios, T e , and direct-method metallicities calculated by Sanders et al (2020) and Sanders et al (2023b) that were derived using a methodology consistent with this work.…”

Section: Ground-based Auroral-line Samplementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The most robust resolution to this problem is to construct high-redshift metallicity calibrations using direct metallicity and strong-line measurements of highredshift galaxies themselves. Based on deep groundbased spectroscopy of bright high-redshift line emitters, a sample of ∼ 20 star-forming galaxies at z = 1.4 − 3.7 with auroral line detections and direct-method metallicities has been assembled, representing many nights of 8 − 10 meter telescope time (Villar-Martín et al 2004;Brammer et al 2012;Christensen et al 2012a,b;Stark et al 2013Stark et al , 2014Bayliss et al 2014;James et al 2014;Sanders et al 2016b;Kojima et al 2017;Berg et al 2018;Patrício et al 2018;Gburek et al 2019Gburek et al , 2022Sanders et al 2020Sanders et al , 2023b. Sanders et al (2020) showed that, on average, this sample deviates from calibrations based on normal z ∼ 0 sources, but is wellmatched by the local analog calibrations of Bian et al (2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, both the sample size and the fidelity of individual measurements of this ground-based sample fall short of what is required to construct new calibrations. As discussed in Sanders et al (2023b), this shortcoming is primarily due to the sensitivity provided by current ground-based near-infrared spectrographs, the highly wavelength-dependent sky background, and the limited accessible near-infrared wavelength ranges due to atmospheric transmission. Accordingly, a significant expansion of the z > 1 auroral-line sample is not feasible with current ground-based facilities.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Direct T_e-based Metallicities of z=2-9 Galaxies with JWST/NIRSpec: Empirical Metallicity Calibrations Applicable from Reionization to Cosmic Noon

Shapley¹,

Topping²,

Reddy³

et al. 2023

Preprint

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We report detections of the [O iii]λ4364 auroral emission line for 16 galaxies at z = 2.1−8.7, measured from JWST/NIRSpec observations obtained as part of the Cosmic Evolution Early Release Science (CEERS) survey program. We combine this CEERS sample with 9 objects from the literature at z = 4−9 with auroral-line detections from JWST/NIRSpec and 21 galaxies at z = 1.4−3.7 with auroralline detections from ground-based spectroscopy. We derive electron temperature (T e ) and directmethod oxygen abundances for the combined sample of 46 star-forming galaxies at z = 1.4−8.7. We use these measurements to construct the first high-redshift empirical T e -based metallicity calibrations for the strong-line ratiosThese new calibrations are valid over 12+log(O/H) = 7.0 − 8.4 and can be applied to samples of starforming galaxies at z = 2 − 9, leading to an improvement in the accuracy of metallicity determinations at Cosmic Noon and in the Epoch of Reionization. The high-redshift strong-line relations are offset from calibrations based on typical z ∼ 0 galaxies or H ii regions, reflecting the known evolution of ionization conditions between z ∼ 0 and z ∼ 2. Deep spectroscopic programs with JWST/NIRSpec promise to improve statistics at the low and high ends of the metallicity range covered by the current sample, as well as improve the detection rate of [N ii]λ6585 to allow the future assessment of N-based indicators. These new high-redshift calibrations will enable accurate characterizations of metallicity scaling relations at high redshift, improving our understanding of feedback and baryon cycling in the early universe.

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Section: Ceers Auroral-line Sample Selectionmentioning

confidence: 61%

Section: Ground-based Auroral-line Samplementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Ground-based Auroral-line Samplementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Direct T_e-based Metallicities of z=2-9 Galaxies with JWST/NIRSpec: Empirical Metallicity Calibrations Applicable from Reionization to Cosmic Noon

Shapley¹,

Topping²,

Reddy³

et al. 2023

Preprint

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High-z galaxies with JWST and local analogues – it is not only star formation

Brinchmann

2023

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

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I present an analysis of the JWST NIRSpec data of SMACS 0723 released as Early Release Observations. As part of this three new redshifts are provided, bringing the total of reliable redshifts to 14. I propose a modification to the direct abundance determination method that reduces sensitivity to flux calibration uncertainties by a factor of ∼3 and show that the resulting abundances are in good agreement with Bayesian photoionization models of the rest-frame optical spectrum. I also show that 6355 is most likely a narrow-line active galactic nucleus (AGN) with M* < 109 M⊙ at z = 7.66, and argue that 10612 might also have an AGN contribution to its flux through comparison to photoionization models and low-redshift analogues. Under the assumption that the lines come from star-formation I find that the galaxies have gas depletion times of ∼107 years, comparable to similar galaxies locally. I also identify a population of possibly shock-dominated galaxies at z < 3 whose near-IR emission lines plausibly come nearly all from shocks and discuss their implications. I close with a discussion of the potential for biases in the determination of the mass-metallicity relation using samples defined by detected [O iii]4363 and show using low-z galaxies that this can lead to biases of up to 0.5 dex with a systematic trend with mass.

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The impact of binary stars on the dust and metal evolution of galaxies

Yates,

Hendriks,

Vijayan

et al. 2023

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

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We present detailed implementations of (a) binary stellar evolution (using binary_c) and (b) dust production and destruction into the cosmological semi-analytic galaxy evolution simulation, L-Galaxies. This new version of L-Galaxies is compared to a version assuming only single stars and to global and spatially-resolved observational data across a range of redshifts (z). We find that binaries have a negligible impact on the stellar masses, gas masses, and star formation rates of galaxies if the total mass ejected by massive stars is unchanged. This is because massive stars determine the strength of supernova (SN) feedback, which in turn regulates galaxy growth. Binary effects, such as common envelope ejection and novae, affect carbon and nitrogen enrichment in galaxies, however heavier alpha elements are more affected by the choice of SN and wind yields. Unlike many other simulations, the new L-Galaxies reproduces observed dust-to-metal (DTM) and dust-to-gas (DTG) ratios at z ∼ 0 − 4. This is mainly due to shorter dust accretion timescales in dust-rich environments. However, dust masses are under-predicted at z ≳ 4, highlighting the need for enhanced dust production at early times in simulations, possibly accompanied by increased star formation. On sub-galactic scales, there is very good agreement between L-Galaxies and observed dust and metal radial profiles at z = 0. A drop in DTM ratio is also found in diffuse, low-metallicity regions, contradicting the assumption of a universal value. We hope that this work serves as a useful template for binary stellar evolution implementations in other cosmological simulations in future.

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A Preview of JWST Metallicity Studies at Cosmic Noon: The First Detection of Auroral [O ii] Emission at High Redshift*

Cited by 13 publications

References 114 publications

Direct T_e-based Metallicities of z=2-9 Galaxies with JWST/NIRSpec: Empirical Metallicity Calibrations Applicable from Reionization to Cosmic Noon

Direct T_e-based Metallicities of z=2-9 Galaxies with JWST/NIRSpec: Empirical Metallicity Calibrations Applicable from Reionization to Cosmic Noon

High-z galaxies with JWST and local analogues – it is not only star formation

The impact of binary stars on the dust and metal evolution of galaxies

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