The Mass–Metallicity Relation of Dwarf Galaxies at Cosmic Noon from JWST Observations

Abstract

We present a study of the mass–metallicity relation (MZR) of 51 dwarf galaxies ( M _⋆ ≈ 10 ^6.5 –10 ^9.5 M _⊙ ) at z = 2–3 from the A2744 and SMACS J0723-3732 galaxy cluster fields. These dwarf galaxies are identified and confirmed by deep JWST/NIRISS imaging and slitless grism spectroscopic observations. By taking advantage of the superior performance of JWST and the gravitational lensing effect, we extend the previous MZR relation at z = 2–3 to a much lower-mass regime down by ≈2.5 orders of magnitude as compared with previous studies. We find that the MZR has a shallower slope at the low-mass end ( M _⋆ < 10 ^9 M _⊙ ), with a slope turnover point of ≈10 ^9 M _⊙ . This implies that the dominating feedback processes in dwarf galaxies may be different from that in massive galaxies. From z = 3, to z = 2, the metallicity of the dwarf galaxies is enhanced by ≈0.09 dex for a given stellar mass, consistent with the mild evolution found in galaxies with higher mass. Furthermore, we confirm the existence of a fundamental metallicity relation (FMR) between the gas-phase metallicity, stellar mass, and star formation rate in dwarf galaxies at z = 2–3. Our derived FMR, which has no significant redshift evolution, can be used as a benchmark to understand the origin of the anticorrelation between the star formation rate and metallicity of dwarf galaxies in the high- z Universe.

Keywords

• Galaxy abundances
• Interstellar medium
• Galaxy evolution
• High-redshift galaxies