The JCMT SCUBA-2 Survey of the James Webb Space Telescope North Ecliptic Pole Time-Domain Field

Abstract

The James Webb Space Telescope Time-Domain Field (JWST-TDF) is an ∼14′ diameter field near the North Ecliptic Pole that will be targeted by one of the JWST Guaranteed Time Observations programs. Here, we describe our James Clerk Maxwell Telescope SCUBA-2 850 μ m imaging of the JWST-TDF and present the submillimeter source catalog and properties. We also present a catalog of radio sources from Karl J. Jansky Very Large Array 3 GHz observations of the field. These observations were obtained to aid JWST's study of dust-obscured galaxies that contribute significantly to cosmic star formation at high redshifts. Our deep 850 μ m map covers the JWST-TDF at a noise level of σ _850 _µ _m = 1.0 mJy beam ^−1 , detecting 83/31 sources in the main/supplementary signal-to-noise ratio (S/N > 4 / S/N = 3.5–4) sample, respectively. The 3 GHz observations cover a 24′ diameter field with a 1 σ noise of 1 μ Jy beam ^−1 at a 0.″7 FWHM. We identified eighty-five 3 GHz counterparts to sixty-six 850 μ m sources and then matched these with multiwavelength data from the optical to the mid-infrared wave bands. We performed spectral energy distribution fitting for 61 submillimeter galaxies (SMGs) matched with optical/near-infrared data, and found that SMGs at S/N > 4 have a median value of z _phot = 2.22 ± 0.12, star formation rates of 300 ± 40 M _⊙ yr ^−1 (Chabrier initial mass function), and typical cold dust masses of 5.9 ± 0.7 × 10 ^8 M _⊙ , in line with bright SMGs from other surveys. The large cold dust masses indicate correspondingly large cool gas masses, which we suggest are a key factor necessary to drive the high star formation rates seen in this population.

Keywords

• Galaxy evolution
• High-redshift galaxies
• Galaxy formation
• Submillimeter astronomy
• Galaxy counts
• Ultraluminous infrared galaxies