Early Results from GLASS-JWST. XXV. Electron Density in the Interstellar Medium at 0.7 ≲ z ≲ 9.3 with NIRSpec High-resolution Spectroscopy

Sijia Li; Xin Wang; Yuguang Chen; Tucker Jones; Tommaso Treu; Karl Glazebrook; Xianlong He; Alaina Henry; Xiao-Lei Meng; Takahiro Morishita; Guido Roberts-Borsani; Lilan Yang; Hao-Ran Yu; Antonello Calabrò; Marco Castellano; Nicha Leethochawalit; Benjamin Metha; Themiya Nanayakkara; Namrata Roy; Benedetta Vulcani

doi:10.3847/2041-8213/ad9eac

The Astrophysical Journal Letters (Jan 2025)

Early Results from GLASS-JWST. XXV. Electron Density in the Interstellar Medium at 0.7 ≲ z ≲ 9.3 with NIRSpec High-resolution Spectroscopy

Sijia Li,
Xin Wang,
Yuguang Chen,
Tucker Jones,
Tommaso Treu,
Karl Glazebrook,
Xianlong He,
Alaina Henry,
Xiao-Lei Meng,
Takahiro Morishita,
Guido Roberts-Borsani,
Lilan Yang,
Hao-Ran Yu,
Antonello Calabrò,
Marco Castellano,
Nicha Leethochawalit,
Benjamin Metha,
Themiya Nanayakkara,
Namrata Roy,
Benedetta Vulcani

Affiliations

Sijia Li: ORCiD; School of Astronomy and Space Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS) , Beijing 100049, People's Republic of China ; [email protected]; Department of Astronomy, Xiamen University , Xiamen, Fujian 361005, People's Republic of China
Xin Wang: ORCiD; School of Astronomy and Space Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS) , Beijing 100049, People's Republic of China ; [email protected]; National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing 100101, People's Republic of China; Institute for Frontiers in Astronomy and Astrophysics, Beijing Normal University , Beijing 102206, People's Republic of China
Yuguang Chen: ORCiD; Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California Davis , 1 Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA ; [email protected]
Tucker Jones: ORCiD; Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California Davis , 1 Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA ; [email protected]
Tommaso Treu: ORCiD; Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California , Los Angeles, 430 Portola Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
Karl Glazebrook: ORCiD; Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology , PO Box 218, Hawthorn, VIC 3122, Australia
Xianlong He: ORCiD; School of Astronomy and Space Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS) , Beijing 100049, People's Republic of China ; [email protected]; School of Physics and Technology, Wuhan University (WHU) , Wuhan 430072, People's Republic of China
Alaina Henry: ORCiD; Space Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA; Center for Astrophysical Sciences, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
Xiao-Lei Meng: ORCiD; National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing 100101, People's Republic of China
Takahiro Morishita: ORCiD; IPAC, California Institute of Technology , MC 314-6, 1200 East California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
Guido Roberts-Borsani: ORCiD; Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California , Los Angeles, 430 Portola Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
Lilan Yang: ORCiD; Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe, The University of Tokyo , Kashiwa, 277-8583, Japan
Hao-Ran Yu: ORCiD; Department of Astronomy, Xiamen University , Xiamen, Fujian 361005, People's Republic of China
Antonello Calabrò: ORCiD; INAF Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma , Via Frascati 33, 00078 Monteporzio Catone, Rome, Italy
Marco Castellano: ORCiD; INAF Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma , Via Frascati 33, 00078 Monteporzio Catone, Rome, Italy
Nicha Leethochawalit: ORCiD; National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (NARIT) , MaeRim, Chiang Mai, 50180, Thailand
Benjamin Metha: ORCiD; School of Physics, The University of Melbourne , VIC 3010, Australia
Themiya Nanayakkara: ORCiD; Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology , PO Box 218, Hawthorn, VIC 3122, Australia
Namrata Roy: ORCiD; Center for Astrophysical Sciences, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
Benedetta Vulcani: ORCiD; INAF Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova , vicolo dell’Osservatorio 5, 35122 Padova, Italy

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ad9eac
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 979, no. 1
p. L13

Abstract

Read online

The electron density ( n _e ) of the interstellar medium (ISM) in star-forming galaxies is intimately linked to star formation and ionization condition. Using the high-resolution spectra obtained from the JWST Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) microshutter assembly (MSA) as part of the GLASS-JWST program, we have assembled the largest sample to date (34 galaxies) with individual n _e measurements derived from the [O ii ] λλ 3726, 29 and/or [S ii ] λλ 6718, 32 doublets at 0.7 ≲ z ≲ 9.3. The gravitational lensing magnification by the foreground A2744 cluster allows us to probe n _e in galaxies with stellar masses ( M _* ) down to ≃10 ^7.5 M _⊙ across the entire redshift range. Our analysis reveals that the [O ii ] flux ratios are marginally anticorrelated with a specific star formation rate (sSFR) within a 1 σ confidence interval, whereas the [S ii ] flux ratios show no significant correlation with sSFR. Despite a clear correlation between sSFR and redshift within our sample, we find no apparent redshift evolution of n _e at z ≃ 1–9. Our data set also includes 13 galaxies where n _e can be measured from both [O ii ] and [S ii ]. Contrary to findings at lower redshifts, we observe considerable scatter in n _e measurements from [O ii ] and [S ii ], indicating a complex gaseous environment with significant variations in n _e in high-redshift galaxies. This work highlights the unique capability of JWST NIRSpec/MSA high-resolution spectroscopy to characterize the detailed physical properties of the ISM in individual high-redshift galaxies.

Published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters

ISSN: 2041-8205 (Print); 2041-8213 (Online)
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Science: Astronomy: Astrophysics
Website: https://iopscience.iop.org/journal/2041-8205

About the journal

Abstract

Keywords