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arXiv · 2404.11567

Extreme-value modelling of the brightest galaxies at $z\gtrsim9$

Cameron Heather·Teeraparb Chantavat·Siri Chongchitnan·Joseph Silk
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Abstract

Data from the James Webb Space Telescope have revealed an intriguing population of bright galaxies at high redshifts. In this work, we use extreme-value statistics to calculate the distribution (in UV magnitude) of the brightest galaxies in the redshift range $9 \lesssim z \lesssim 16$. We combine the Generalised Extreme Value (GEV) approach with modelling of the galaxy luminosity function. We obtain predictions of the brightest galaxies for a suite of luminosity functions, including the Schechter and double power law functions, as well as a model parametrised by the stellar formation efficiency $f_*$. We find that the JWST data is broadly consistent with $f_*$ of $5\%-10\%$, and that the brightest galaxy at $z\sim16$ will have $M_{\rm UV}\approx -23.5^{0.8}_{0.4}$. If $f_*$ is dependent on halo mass, we predict $M_{\rm UV}\approx -22.5^{0.5}_{1.5}$ for such an object. We show that extreme-value statistics not only predicts the magnitude of the brightest galaxies at high redshifts, but may also be able to distinguish between models of star formation in high-redshift galaxies.

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Cameron Heather, Teeraparb Chantavat, Siri Chongchitnan, Joseph Silk. 2024-04-17. Extreme-value modelling of the brightest galaxies at $z\gtrsim9$. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras%2Fstae2051

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