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arXiv · 2405.18462

Photometric detection at $7.7\ \mu\mathrm{m}$ of a galaxy beyond redshift $14$ with JWST/MIRI

Jakob M. Helton·George H. Rieke·Stacey Alberts·Zihao Wu·Daniel J. Eisenstein·Kevin N. Hainline·Stefano Carniani·Zhiyuan Ji·William M. Baker·Rachana Bhatawdekar·Andrew J. Bunker·Phillip A. Cargile·Stéphane Charlot·Jacopo Chevallard·Francesco D'Eugenio·Eiichi Egami·Benjamin D. Johnson·Gareth C. Jones·Jianwei Lyu·Roberto Maiolino·Pablo G. Pérez-González·Marcia J. Rieke·Brant Robertson·Aayush Saxena·Jan Scholtz·Irene Shivaei·Fengwu Sun·Sandro Tacchella·Lily Whitler·Christina C. Williams·Christopher N. A. Willmer·Chris Willott·Joris Witstok·Yongda Zhu
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Abstract

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has spectroscopically confirmed numerous galaxies at $z > 10$. While weak rest-ultraviolet emission lines have only been seen in a handful of sources, the stronger rest-optical emission lines are highly diagnostic and accessible at mid-infrared wavelengths with the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) of JWST. We report the photometric detection of the distant spectroscopically confirmed galaxy JADES-GS-z14-0 at $z = 14.32^{+0.08}_{-0.20}$ with MIRI at $7.7\ \mu\mathrm{m}$. The most plausible solution for the stellar population properties is that this galaxy contains half a billion solar masses in stars with a strong burst of star formation in the most recent few million years. For this model, at least one-third of the flux at $7.7\ \mu\mathrm{m}$ comes from the rest-optical emission lines $\mathrm{H}\beta$ and/or $\mathrm{[OIII]}\lambda\lambda4959,5007$. The inferred properties of JADES-GS-z14-0 suggest rapid mass assembly and metal enrichment during the earliest phases of galaxy formation. This work demonstrates the unique power of mid-infrared observations in understanding galaxies at the redshift frontier.

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Jakob M. Helton, George H. Rieke, Stacey Alberts, Zihao Wu, Daniel J. Eisenstein, Kevin N. Hainline, Stefano Carniani, Zhiyuan Ji, William M. Baker, Rachana Bhatawdekar, Andrew J. Bunker, Phillip A. Cargile, Stéphane Charlot, Jacopo Chevallard, Francesco D'Eugenio, Eiichi Egami, Benjamin D. Johnson, Gareth C. Jones, Jianwei Lyu, Roberto Maiolino, Pablo G. Pérez-González, Marcia J. Rieke, Brant Robertson, Aayush Saxena, Jan Scholtz, Irene Shivaei, Fengwu Sun, Sandro Tacchella, Lily Whitler, Christina C. Williams, Christopher N. A. Willmer, Chris Willott, Joris Witstok, Yongda Zhu. 2024-05-28. Photometric detection at $7.7\ \mu\mathrm{m}$ of a galaxy beyond redshift $14$ with JWST/MIRI. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-025-02503-z

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