The Astrophysical Journal Letters (Jan 2023)
Early Results From GLASS-JWST. XII. The Morphology of Galaxies at the Epoch of Reionization
- T. Treu,
- A. Calabrò,
- M. Castellano,
- N. Leethochawalit,
- E. Merlin,
- A. Fontana,
- L. Yang,
- T. Morishita,
- M. Trenti,
- A. Dressler,
- C. Mason,
- D. Paris,
- L. Pentericci,
- G. Roberts-Borsani,
- B. Vulcani,
- K. Boyett,
- M. Bradac,
- K. Glazebrook,
- T. Jones,
- D. Marchesini,
- S. Mascia,
- T. Nanayakkara,
- P. Santini,
- V. Strait,
- E. Vanzella,
- X. Wang
Affiliations
- T. Treu
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California , Los Angeles, 430 Portola Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA ; [email protected]
- A. Calabrò
- ORCiD
- INAF Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma , Via Frascati 33, I-00078 Monteporzio Catone, Rome, Italy
- M. Castellano
- ORCiD
- INAF Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma , Via Frascati 33, I-00078 Monteporzio Catone, Rome, Italy
- N. Leethochawalit
- ORCiD
- School of Physics, University of Melbourne , Parkville 3010, VIC, Australia; ARC Centre of Excellence for All Sky Astrophysics in 3 Dimensions (ASTRO 3D) , Australia; National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (NARIT) , Mae Rim, Chiang Mai, 50180, Thailand
- E. Merlin
- ORCiD
- INAF Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma , Via Frascati 33, I-00078 Monteporzio Catone, Rome, Italy
- A. Fontana
- ORCiD
- INAF Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma , Via Frascati 33, I-00078 Monteporzio Catone, Rome, Italy
- L. Yang
- ORCiD
- Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe, The University of Tokyo , Kashiwa, 277-8583, Japan
- T. Morishita
- ORCiD
- Infrared Processing and Analysis Center , Caltech, 1200 E. California Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA
- M. Trenti
- ORCiD
- School of Physics, University of Melbourne , Parkville 3010, VIC, Australia; ARC Centre of Excellence for All Sky Astrophysics in 3 Dimensions (ASTRO 3D) , Australia
- A. Dressler
- ORCiD
- The Observatories, The Carnegie Institution for Science , 813 Santa Barbara St., Pasadena, CA, 91101, USA
- C. Mason
- ORCiD
- Cosmic Dawn Center (DAWN) , Denmark; Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen , Jagtvej 128, DK-2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark
- D. Paris
- ORCiD
- INAF Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma , Via Frascati 33, I-00078 Monteporzio Catone, Rome, Italy
- L. Pentericci
- ORCiD
- INAF Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma , Via Frascati 33, I-00078 Monteporzio Catone, Rome, Italy
- G. Roberts-Borsani
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California , Los Angeles, 430 Portola Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA ; [email protected]
- B. Vulcani
- ORCiD
- INAF Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova , vicolo dell’Osservatorio 5, I-35122 Padova, Italy
- K. Boyett
- ORCiD
- School of Physics, University of Melbourne , Parkville 3010, VIC, Australia; ARC Centre of Excellence for All Sky Astrophysics in 3 Dimensions (ASTRO 3D) , Australia
- M. Bradac
- ORCiD
- University of Ljubljana , Department of Mathematics and Physics, Jadranska ulica 19, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California Davis , 1 Shields Avenue, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
- K. Glazebrook
- ORCiD
- Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology , PO Box 218, Hawthorn, VIC 3122, Australia
- T. Jones
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California Davis , 1 Shields Avenue, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
- D. Marchesini
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Tufts University , 574 Boston Ave., Medford, MA, 02155, USA
- S. Mascia
- ORCiD
- INAF Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma , Via Frascati 33, I-00078 Monteporzio Catone, Rome, Italy
- T. Nanayakkara
- ORCiD
- Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology , PO Box 218, Hawthorn, VIC 3122, Australia
- P. Santini
- ORCiD
- INAF Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma , Via Frascati 33, I-00078 Monteporzio Catone, Rome, Italy
- V. Strait
- ORCiD
- Cosmic Dawn Center (DAWN) , Denmark; Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen , Jagtvej 128, DK-2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark
- E. Vanzella
- ORCiD
- INAF—OAS , Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio di Bologna, via Gobetti 93/3, I-40129 Bologna, Italy
- X. Wang
- ORCiD
- Infrared Processing and Analysis Center , Caltech, 1200 E. California Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ac9283
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 942,
no. 2
p. L28
Abstract
Star-forming galaxies can exhibit strong morphological differences between the rest-frame far-UV and optical, reflecting inhomogeneities in star formation and dust attenuation. We exploit deep, high-resolution, NIRCAM seven-band observations to take a first look at the morphology of galaxies in the epoch of reionization ( z > 7), and its variation in the rest-frame wavelength range between Ly α and 6000–4000 Å, at z = 7–12. We find no dramatic variations in morphology with wavelength—of the kind that would have overturned anything we have learned from the Hubble Space Telescope. No significant trends between morphology and wavelengths are detected using standard quantitative morphology statistics. We detect signatures of mergers/interactions in 4/19 galaxies. Our results are consistent with a scenario in which Lyman-break galaxies—observed when the universe is only 400–800 Myr old—are growing via a combination of rapid, galaxy-scale star formation supplemented by the accretion of star-forming clumps and interactions.
Keywords
