The Astrophysical Journal (Jan 2025)
The Abundance and Properties of Barred Galaxies out to z ∼ 4 Using JWST CEERS Data
- Yuchen Guo,
- Shardha Jogee,
- Eden Wise,
- Keith Pritchett Jr.,
- Elizabeth J. McGrath,
- Steven L. Finkelstein,
- Kartheik G. Iyer,
- Pablo Arrabal Haro,
- Micaela B. Bagley,
- Mark Dickinson,
- Jeyhan S. Kartaltepe,
- Anton M. Koekemoer,
- Casey Papovich,
- Nor Pirzkal,
- L. Y. Aaron Yung,
- Bren E. Backhaus,
- Eric F. Bell,
- Rachana Bhatawdekar,
- Yingjie Cheng,
- Luca Costantin,
- Alexander de la Vega,
- Mauro Giavalisco,
- Nimish P. Hathi,
- Benne W. Holwerda,
- Peter Kurczynski,
- Ray A. Lucas,
- Bahram Mobasher,
- Pablo G. Pérez-González,
- Fabio Pacucci
Affiliations
- Yuchen Guo
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy, The University of Texas at Austin , Austin, TX 78712-1205, USA
- Shardha Jogee
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy, The University of Texas at Austin , Austin, TX 78712-1205, USA
- Eden Wise
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy, The University of Texas at Austin , Austin, TX 78712-1205, USA
- Keith Pritchett Jr.
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy, Siena College , Loudonville, NY 12211, USA
- Elizabeth J. McGrath
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Colby College , Waterville, ME 04901, USA
- Steven L. Finkelstein
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy, The University of Texas at Austin , Austin, TX 78712-1205, USA
- Kartheik G. Iyer
- ORCiD
- Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory, Columbia University , 550 West 120th Street, New York, NY 10027, USA; Center for Computational Astrophysics, Flatiron Institute , New York, NY 10010, USA
- Pablo Arrabal Haro
- ORCiD
- NSF’s National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory , 950 North Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
- Micaela B. Bagley
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy, The University of Texas at Austin , Austin, TX 78712-1205, USA; Astrophysics Science Division Code 660, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center , Greenbelt MD 207781, USA
- Mark Dickinson
- ORCiD
- NSF’s National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory , 950 North Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
- Jeyhan S. Kartaltepe
- ORCiD
- Laboratory for Multiwavelength Astrophysics, School of Physics and Astronomy, Rochester Institute of Technology , 84 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY 14623, USA
- Anton M. Koekemoer
- ORCiD
- Space Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Casey Papovich
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Texas A&M University , College Station, TX 77843-4242, USA; George P. and Cynthia Woods Mitchell Institute for Fundamental Physics and Astronomy , Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-4242, USA
- Nor Pirzkal
- ORCiD
- ESA/AURA Space Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD, 21212, USA
- L. Y. Aaron Yung
- ORCiD
- Space Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Bren E. Backhaus
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Kansas , Lawrence, KS 66045, USA
- Eric F. Bell
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy, University of Michigan , 1085 South University Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Rachana Bhatawdekar
- ORCiD
- European Space Agency (ESA) , European Space Astronomy Centre (ESAC), Camino Bajo del Castillo s/n, 28692 Villanueva de la Cañada, Madrid, Spain
- Yingjie Cheng
- ORCiD
- University of Massachusetts Amherst , 710 North Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA 01003-9305, USA
- Luca Costantin
- ORCiD
- Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA) , Ctra de Ajalvir km 4, Torrejón de Ardoz, 28850, Madrid, Spain
- Alexander de la Vega
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California , 900 University Avenue, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
- Mauro Giavalisco
- ORCiD
- University of Massachusetts Amherst , 710 North Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA 01003-9305, USA
- Nimish P. Hathi
- ORCiD
- Space Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Benne W. Holwerda
- ORCiD
- Physics & Astronomy Department, University of Louisville , Louisville, KY 40292, USA
- Peter Kurczynski
- ORCiD
- Astrophysics Science Division Code 660, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center , Greenbelt MD 207781, USA
- Ray A. Lucas
- ORCiD
- Space Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Bahram Mobasher
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California , 900 University Avenue, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
- Pablo G. Pérez-González
- ORCiD
- Centro de Astrobiología (CAB) , CSIC-INTA, Carretera de Ajalvir km 4, Torrejón de Ardoz, E-28850, Madrid, Spain
- Fabio Pacucci
- ORCiD
- Center for Astrophysics ∣ Harvard & Smithsonian , Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Black Hole Initiative, Harvard University , Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/adc8a7
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 985,
no. 2
p. 181
Abstract
We present the first estimate of the observed fraction and properties of bars out to z ∼ 4 using JWST CEERS NIRCam images. We analyze 1770 galaxies with M _⋆ > 10 ^10 M _⊙ at 0.5 ≤ z ≤ 4 and identify barred galaxies from 839 moderately inclined disk galaxies via ellipse fits and visual classification of both F200W and F444W images. Our results apply mainly to bars with projected semimajor axis a _bar > 1.5 kpc (∼2× point-spread function in F200W images) that can be robustly traced by ellipse fits. For such bars, the observed bar fraction at z ∼ 2–4 is low (≲10%), and they appear to be emerging at least as early as z ∼ 4. Our observed bar fraction at z ∼ 0.5–4 is consistent with the bar fraction predicted by TNG50 simulations for large bars with a _bar > 1.5 kpc at z ∼ 0.5–4 and with the bar fraction from Auriga simulations out to z ∼ 1.5. However, TNG50 simulations predict a large population of smaller bars that our data cannot robustly detect. If such bars exist, the true bar fraction at z ∼ 2–4 may be significantly higher than our results. At z ≥ 1.5, many barred galaxies show nearby neighbors, suggesting bars may be tidally triggered. From z ∼ 4 to 0.5, the observed bar fraction, average projected bar length, and projected bar strength rise. Our results highlight the early emergence and evolution of barred galaxies and the rising importance of bar-driven secular evolution from z ∼ 4 to today.
Keywords
