Dwarf Galaxies at Cosmic Noon: New JWST Constraints on Satellite Models and Subhalo Tidal Evolution

Abstract

The advent of JWST has revolutionized the study of faint satellite galaxies at $z \gtrsim 1$, enabling statistical constraints on galaxy evolution and the galaxy$-$halo connection in a previously unexplored mass and redshift regime. We compare satellite abundances at $1 < z < 3.5$ from recent JWST observations with predictions from cosmological dark matter-only zoom-in simulations. We identify and quantify several sources of biases that can impact theoretical satellite counts, finding that assumptions about subhalo tidal evolution introduce the largest uncertainty in predictions for the satellite mass function. Using a flexible galaxy disruption model, we explore a range of disruption scenarios, spanning hydrodynamically motivated and idealized prescriptions, to bracket plausible physical outcomes. We show that varying galaxy durability can change the predicted satellite mass functions by a factor of $\sim3.5$. The JWST data and our fiducial model are consistent within $1-2\sigma$ across the full redshift ($1 < z < 3.5$) and stellar mass ($M_\star> 10^7~\mathrm{M}_\odot$) range probed. We find evidence that subhalos are at least as long-lived as predicted by hydrodynamic simulations. Our framework will enable robust constraints on the tidal evolution of subhalos with future observations. This work presents the first direct comparison between cosmological models and observations of the high-redshift satellite population in this low-mass regime. These results showcase JWST's emerging power to test structure formation in the first half of the Universe in a new domain and to constrain the physical processes driving the evolution of low-mass galaxies across cosmic time.