The Astrophysical Journal Letters (Jan 2024)
JWST NIRCam Photometry: A Study of Globular Clusters Surrounding Bright Elliptical Galaxy VV 191a at z = 0.0513
- Jessica M. Berkheimer,
- Timothy Carleton,
- Rogier A. Windhorst,
- William C. Keel,
- Benne W. Holwerda,
- Mario Nonino,
- Seth H. Cohen,
- Rolf A. Jansen,
- Dan Coe,
- Christopher J. Conselice,
- Simon P. Driver,
- Brenda L. Frye,
- Norman A. Grogin,
- Anton M. Koekemoer,
- Ray A. Lucas,
- Madeline A. Marshall,
- Nor Pirzkal,
- Clayton Robertson,
- Aaron Robotham,
- Russell E. Ryan Jr.,
- Brent M. Smith,
- Jake Summers,
- Scott Tompkins,
- Christopher N. A. Willmer,
- Haojing Yan
Affiliations
- Jessica M. Berkheimer
- ORCiD
- School of Earth & Space Exploration, Arizona State University , Tempe, AZ 85287-1404, USA ; [email protected]
- Timothy Carleton
- ORCiD
- School of Earth & Space Exploration, Arizona State University , Tempe, AZ 85287-1404, USA ; [email protected]
- Rogier A. Windhorst
- ORCiD
- School of Earth & Space Exploration, Arizona State University , Tempe, AZ 85287-1404, USA ; [email protected]
- William C. Keel
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Alabama , Box 870324, Tuscaloosa, AL 35404, USA
- Benne W. Holwerda
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Louisville , KY 40292, USA
- Mario Nonino
- ORCiD
- INAF-Trieste Astronomical Observatory , Via Bazzoni 2, 34124, Trieste, Italy
- Seth H. Cohen
- ORCiD
- School of Earth & Space Exploration, Arizona State University , Tempe, AZ 85287-1404, USA ; [email protected]
- Rolf A. Jansen
- ORCiD
- School of Earth & Space Exploration, Arizona State University , Tempe, AZ 85287-1404, USA ; [email protected]
- Dan Coe
- ORCiD
- AURA for the European Space Agency (ESA), Space Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Christopher J. Conselice
- ORCiD
- Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, Alan Turing Building, University of Manchester , Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
- Simon P. Driver
- ORCiD
- International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) and the International Space Centre (ISC), The University of Western Australia , M468, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
- Brenda L. Frye
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy/Steward Observatory, University of Arizona , 933 N. Cherry Ave., Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
- Norman A. Grogin
- ORCiD
- Space Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Anton M. Koekemoer
- ORCiD
- Space Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Ray A. Lucas
- ORCiD
- Space Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Madeline A. Marshall
- ORCiD
- National Research Council of Canada, Herzberg Astronomy & Astrophysics Research Centre , 5071 West Saanich Road, Victoria, BC V9E 2E7, Canada
- Nor Pirzkal
- ORCiD
- Space Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Clayton Robertson
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Louisville , KY 40292, USA
- Aaron Robotham
- ORCiD
- International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) and the International Space Centre (ISC), The University of Western Australia , M468, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
- Russell E. Ryan Jr.
- ORCiD
- Space Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Brent M. Smith
- ORCiD
- School of Earth & Space Exploration, Arizona State University , Tempe, AZ 85287-1404, USA ; [email protected]
- Jake Summers
- ORCiD
- School of Earth & Space Exploration, Arizona State University , Tempe, AZ 85287-1404, USA ; [email protected]
- Scott Tompkins
- ORCiD
- School of Earth & Space Exploration, Arizona State University , Tempe, AZ 85287-1404, USA ; [email protected]
- Christopher N. A. Willmer
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy/Steward Observatory, University of Arizona , 933 N. Cherry Ave., Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
- Haojing Yan
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Missouri , Columbia, MO 65211, USA
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ad2688
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 964,
no. 2
p. L29
Abstract
James Webb Space Telescope NIRCam images have revealed 154 reliable globular cluster (GC) candidates around the z = 0.0513 elliptical galaxy VV 191a after subtracting 34 likely interlopers from background galaxies inside our search area. NIRCam broadband observations are made at 0.9–4.5 μ m using the F090W, F150W, F356W, and F444W filters. Using point-spread-function-matched photometry, the data are analyzed to present color–magnitude diagrams and color distributions that suggest a relatively uniform population of GCs, except for small fractions of reddest (5%–8%) and bluest (2%–4%) outliers. GC models in the F090W versus (F090W–F150W) diagram fit the NIRCam data well and show that the majority of GCs detected have a mass of ∼10 ^6.5 M _⊙ , with metallicities [Fe/H] spanning the typical range expected for GCs (−2.5 ≲ [Fe/H]≲ 0.5). However, the models predict ∼0.3–0.4 mag bluer (F356W–F444W) colors than the NIRCam data for a reasonable range of GC ages, metallicities, and reddening. Although our data do not quite reach the luminosity function turnover, the measured luminosity function is consistent with previous measurements, suggesting an estimated peak at m _AB ∼ −9.4 ± 0.2 mag in the F090W filter.
Keywords
