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arXiv · 2510.05332

Declining metallicity and extended HeII in the outflow of an epoch of reionization analogue galaxy

M. J. Hamel-Bravo·D. B. Fisher·D. A. Berg·A. J. Cameron·J. Chisholm·G. G. Kacprzak·B. Mazzilli Ciraulo·H. Katz
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Abstract

We present VLT/X-shooter spectroscopy of the extremely metal-poor starburst galaxy SBS 0335-052E, a nearby (D $\sim$54 Mpc) analog of high-redshift systems, probing its outflow up to a distance of $\sim$2.6 kpc. Using direct-method oxygen abundances, we find a complex metallicity profile that generally declines with distance, decreasing by 0.37 dex from the galaxy center out to 2.4 kpc into the outflow. This implies a metal-loading factor roughly an order of magnitude lower than predictions based on the mass-metallicity relation for low-mass galaxies. We also detect extended HeII emission, including a broad, redshifted component beyond 2 kpc, distinct from narrow emission associated with star clusters. No H$\beta$ emission is detected associated with the broad redshifted component, implying extremely high HeII/H$\beta$ ratios (0.7--4.8). Such extreme values, combined with the decreasing metallicity, challenge current models for stellar feedback. The contribution of an intermediate-mass black hole could simultaneously account for the declining metallicity and the unusually extended HeII emission.

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M. J. Hamel-Bravo, D. B. Fisher, D. A. Berg, A. J. Cameron, J. Chisholm, G. G. Kacprzak, B. Mazzilli Ciraulo, H. Katz. 2025-10-06. Declining metallicity and extended HeII in the outflow of an epoch of reionization analogue galaxy. https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361%2F202557538

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