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Akio K. Inoue

Publications and source records attributed to Akio K. Inoue.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

Red Spiral Galaxies in the Cosmic Noon Unveiled in the First JWST Image

In the first image of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) of SMACS J0723.3-7327, one of the most outstanding features is the emergence of a large number of red spiral galaxies, because such red spiral galaxies are only a few percent in the number fraction among nearby spiral galaxies. While these apparently red galaxies were already detected with the Spitzer Space Telescope at $\sim3-4{\rm μm}$, the revolutionized view from JWST's unprecedented spatial resolution has unveiled their hidden spiral morphology for the first time. Within the red spiral galaxies, we focus on the three most highly red galaxies that are very faint in the $<0.9\,{\rm μm}$ bands and show red colors in the $2-4\,{\rm μm}$ bands. Our study finds that the three extremely red spiral galaxies are likely to be in the Cosmic Noon (i.e., $1 < z < 3$) and could be consistent with passive (i.e., $\sim$ zero star-formation rates) galaxies having moderate dust reddening (i.e., $A_{\rm V}\sim1\,{\rm mag}$). These "red spiral" galaxies would be interesting, potentially new population of galaxies, as we start to see their detailed morphology using JWST, for the first time. Finally, we note that the spectral energy distribution of these red $z\sim2.5$ galaxies could mimic $z>10$ Lyman break galaxies and contaminate to $z>10$ galaxy samples, especially when they were faint and small.

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EMPRESS. VIII. A New Determination of Primordial He Abundance with Extremely Metal-Poor Galaxies: A Suggestion of the Lepton Asymmetry and Implications for the Hubble Tension

The primordial He abundance $Y_\mathrm{P}$ is a powerful probe of cosmology. Currently, $Y_\mathrm{P}$ is best determined by observations of metal-poor galaxies, while there are only a few known local extremely metal-poor ($<0.1 Z_\odot$) galaxies (EMPGs) having reliable He/H measurements with HeI$λ$10830 near-infrared (NIR) emission. Here we present deep Subaru NIR spectroscopy for 10 EMPGs. Combining the existing optical data, He/H values of 5 out of the 10 EMPGs are reliably derived by the Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm. Adding the existing 3 EMPGs and 51 moderately metal-poor ($0.1-0.4 Z_\odot$) galaxies with reliable He/H estimates, we obtain $Y_\mathrm{P}=0.2370^{+0.0034}_{-0.0033}$ by linear regression in the $\mathrm{(He/H)}-\mathrm{(O/H)}$ plane, where we increase the number of EMPGs from 3 to 8 anchoring He/H of the most metal-poor gas in galaxies. Although our $Y_\mathrm{P}$ measurement and previous measurements are consistent, our result is slightly ($\sim 1σ$) smaller due to our EMPGs. With our $Y_\mathrm{P}$ and the existing primordial deuterium $D_\mathrm{P}$ measurement, we constrain the effective number of neutrino species $N_\mathrm{eff}$ and the baryon-to-photon ratio $η$ showing $\gtrsim 1-2σ$ tensions with the Standard Model and Planck Collaboration et al. (2020). Motivated by the tensions, we allow the degeneracy parameter of electron-neutrino $ξ_e$ to vary as well as $N_\mathrm{eff}$ and $η$. We obtain $ξ_e = 0.05^{+0.03}_{-0.02}$, $N_\mathrm{eff}=3.11^{+0.34}_{-0.31}$, and $η\times10^{10}=6.08^{+0.06}_{-0.06}$ from the $Y_\mathrm{P}$ and $D_\mathrm{P}$ measurements with a prior of $η$ taken from Planck Collaboration et al. (2020). Our constraints suggest a lepton asymmetry and allow for a high value of $N_\mathrm{eff}$ within the $1σ$ level, which could mitigate the Hubble tension.

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Identification of Large Equivalent Width Dusty Galaxies at 4 $<$ z $<$ 6 from Sub-mm Colours

Infrared (IR), sub-millimetre (sub-mm) and millimetre (mm) databases contain a huge quantity of high quality data. However, a large part of these data are photometric, and are thought not to be useful to derive a quantitative information on the nebular emission of galaxies. The aim of this project is first to identify galaxies at z > 4-6, and in the epoch of reionization from their sub-mm colours. We also aim at showing that the colours can be used to try and derive physical constraints from photometric bands, when accounting for the contribution from the IR fine structure lines to these photometric bands. We model the flux of IR fine structure lines with CLOUDY, and add them to the dust continuum emission with CIGALE. Including or not emission lines in the simulated spectral energy distribution (SED) modifies the broad band emission and colours. The introduction of the lines allows to identify strong star forming galaxies at z > 4 - 6 from the log10 (PSW_250um/PMW_350um) versus log10 (LABOCA_870um/PLW_500um) colour-colour diagramme. By comparing the relevant models to each observed galaxy colour, we are able to roughly estimate the fluxes of the lines, and the associated nebular parameters. This method allows to identify a double sequence in a plot built from the ionization parameter and the gas metallicity. The HII and photodissociation region (PDR) fine structure lines are an essential part of the SEDs. It is important to add them when modelling the spectra, especially at z > 4 - 6 where their equivalent widths can be large. Conversely, we show that we can extract some information on strong IR fine structure lines and on the physical parameters related to the nebular emission from IR colour-colour diagrams.

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ALMA Observations for CO Emission from Luminous Lyman-break Galaxies at $z=6.0293$-$6.2037$

We present our new Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations targeting CO(6-5) emission from three luminous Lyman break galaxies (LBGs) at $z_{\rm spec} = 6.0293$-$6.2037$ found in the Subaru/Hyper Suprime-Cam survey, whose [OIII]$88μ$m and [CII]$158μ$m emission have been detected with ALMA. We find a marginal detection of the CO(6-5) line from one of our LBGs, J0235-0532, at the $\simeq 4 σ$ significance level and obtain upper limits for the other two LBGs, J1211-0118 and J0217-0208. Our $z=6$ luminous LBGs are consistent with the previously found correlation between the CO luminosity and the infrared luminosity. The unique ensemble of the multiple far-infrared emission lines and underlying continuum fed to a photodissociation region model reveal that J0235-0532 has a relatively high hydrogen nucleus density that is comparable to those of low-$z$ (U)LIRGs, quasars, and Galactic star-forming regions with high $n_{\rm H}$ values, while the other two LBGs have lower $n_{\rm H}$ consistent with local star-forming galaxies. By carefully taking account of various uncertainties, we obtain total gas mass and gas surface density constraints from their CO luminosity measurements. We find that J0235-0532 locates below the Kennicutt-Schmidt (KS) relation, comparable to the previously CO(2-1) detected $z=5.7$ LBG, HZ10. Combined with previous results for dusty starbursts at similar redshifts, the KS relation at $z=5$-$6$ is on average consistent with the local one.

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A Lower Bound of Star Formation Activity in Ultra-high Redshift Galaxies Detected with JWST: Implications for Stellar Populations and Radiation Sources

Early results of JWST observations have delivered bright $z\gtrsim 10$ galaxy candidates in greater numbers than expected, enabling construction of the rest-frame UV luminosity functions (LFs). The LFs contain key information on the galaxy assembly history, star formation activity, and stellar population in the distant universe. Given an upper bound of the total baryonic mass inflow rate to galaxies from their parent halos estimated from abundance matching, we derive a lower bound on the product of the star formation and UV-photon production efficiency in galaxies at each redshift. This stringent constraint requires a high efficiency ($\gtrsim 10-30\%$) converting gas into stars, assuming a normal stellar population with a Salpeter-like mass distribution. The efficiency is substantially higher than those of typical nearby galaxies, but is consistent with those seen in starburst galaxies and super star clusters observed in the nearby universe. Alternatively, the star formation efficiency may be as low as a few percent, which is the average value for the entire galaxy population at $z\simeq 6$, if the stellar population is metal-free and drawn from a top-heavy mass distribution that produces more intense UV radiation. We discuss several other possible scenarios to achieve the constraint, for instance, energetic radiation produced from compact stellar-remnants and quasars, and propose ways to distinguish the scenarios by forthcoming observations.

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Bridging Optical and Far-Infrared Emission-Line Diagrams of Galaxies from Local to the Epoch of Reionization: Characteristic High [O III] 88 $\mathrm{μm}$/SFR at $z > 6$

We present photoionization modeling of galaxy populations at $z\sim0$, $2$, and $> 6$ to bridge optical and far-infrared (FIR) emission-line diagrams. We collect galaxies with measurements of optical and/or FIR ([O III] 88 $\mathrm{μm}$ and [C II] 158 $\mathrm{μm}$) emission line fluxes and plot them on the [O III]$\lambda5007/\mathrm{Hβ}$--[N II]$\lambda6585/\mathrm{Hα}$ (BPT) and L([O III]88)/SFR--L([C II]158)/SFR diagrams, where SFR is the star-formation rate and L([O III]88) and L([C II]158) are the FIR line luminosities. We aim to explain the galaxy distributions on the two diagrams with photoionization models that employ three nebular parameters: the ionization parameter $U$, hydrogen density $n_\text{H}$, and gaseous metallicity $Z_\text{gas}$. Our models successfully reproduce the nebular parameters of local galaxies, and then predict the distributions of the $z\sim0$, $2$, and $> 6$ galaxies on the diagrams. The predicted distributions illustrate the redshift evolution on all the diagrams; e.g., [O III]$/\mathrm{Hβ}$ and [O III]88/[C II]158 ratios continuously decrease from $z > 6$ to $0$. Specifically, the $z > 6$ galaxies exhibit $\sim\!0.5$ dex higher $U$ than low-redshift galaxies at a given $Z_\text{gas}$ and show predicted flat distributions on the BPT diagram at $\log{\mathrm{[O III]/Hβ}} = 0.5$-$0.8$. We find that some of the $z > 6$ galaxies exhibit high L([O III]88)/SFR ratios. To explain these high ratios, our photoionization models require a low stellar-to-gaseous metallicity ratio or bursty/increasing star-formation history at $z > 6$. The James Webb Space Telescope will test the predictions and scenarios for the $z > 6$ galaxies proposed by our photoionization modeling.

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Possible Systematic Rotation in the Mature Stellar Population of a $z=9.1$ Galaxy

We present new observations with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array for a gravitationally-lensed galaxy at $z=9.1$, MACS1149-JD1. [O III] 88-$μ$m emission is detected at 10$σ$ with a spatial resolution of $\sim0.3$ kpc in the source plane, enabling the most distant morpho-kinematic study of a galaxy. The [O III] emission is distributed smoothly without any resolved clumps and shows a clear velocity gradient with $ΔV_{\rm obs}/2σ_{\rm tot}=0.84\pm0.23$, where $ΔV_{\rm obs}$ is the observed maximum velocity difference and $σ_{\rm tot}$ is the velocity dispersion measured in the spatially-integrated line profile, suggesting a rotating system. Assuming a geometrically thin self-gravitating rotation disk model, we obtain $V_{\rm rot}/σ_V=0.67_{-0.26}^{+0.73}$, where $V_{\rm rot}$ and $σ_V$ are the rotation velocity and velocity dispersion, respectively, still consistent with rotation. The resulting disk mass of $0.65_{-0.40}^{+1.37}\times10^{9}$ M$_\odot$ is consistent with being associated with the stellar mass identified with a 300 Myr-old stellar population independently indicated by a Balmer break in the spectral energy distribution. We conclude that the most of the dynamical mass is associated with the previously-identified mature stellar population that formed at $z\sim15$.

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The Age of Discovery with the James Webb: Excavating the Spectral Signatures of the First Massive Black Holes

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will open a new window of the most distant universe and unveil the early growth of supermassive black holes (BHs) in the first galaxies. In preparation for deep JWST imaging surveys, it is crucial to understand the color selection of high-redshift accreting seed BHs. We model the spectral energy distribution of super-Eddington accreting BHs with millions of solar masses in metal-poor galaxies at $z\gtrsim 8$, applying post-process line transfer calculations to radiation hydrodynamical simulation results. Ten kilosecond exposures with the NIRCam and MIRI broad-band filters are sufficient to detect the radiation flux from the seed BHs with bolometric luminosities of $L_{\rm bol}\simeq 10^{45}~{\rm erg~s}^{-1}$. While the continuum colors are similar to those of typical low-$z$ quasars, strong H$α$ line emission with a rest-frame equivalent width ${\rm EW}_{\rm rest}\simeq 1300~Å$ is so prominent that the line flux affects the broad-band colors significantly. The unique colors, for instance F356W$-$F560W $\gtrsim 1$ at $7<z<8$ and F444W$-$F770W $\gtrsim 1$ at $9<z<12$, provide robust criteria for photometric selection of the rapidly growing seed BHs. Moreover, NIRSpec observations of low-ionization emission lines can test whether the BH is fed via a dense accretion disk at super-Eddington rates.

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Are the Newly-Discovered $z \sim 13$ Drop-out Sources Starburst Galaxies or Quasars?

The detection of two $z\sim 13$ galaxy candidates has opened a new window on galaxy formation at an era only $330$ Myr after the Big Bang. Here, we investigate the physical nature of these sources: are we witnessing star forming galaxies or quasars at such early epochs? If powered by star formation, the observed ultraviolet (UV) luminosities and number densities can be jointly explained if: (i) these galaxies are extreme star-formers with star formation rates $5-24\times$ higher than those expected from extrapolations of average lower-redshift relations; (ii) the star formation efficiency increases with halo mass and is countered by increasing dust attenuation from $z \sim 10-5$; (iii) they form stars with an extremely top-heavy initial mass function. The quasar hypothesis is also plausible, with the UV luminosity produced by black holes of $\sim 10^8 \, \mathrm{M_{\odot}}$ accreting at or slightly above the Eddington rate ($f_{\rm Edd}\sim 1.0$). This black hole mass at $z\sim13$ would require very challenging, but not implausible, growth parameters. If spectroscopically confirmed, these two sources will represent a remarkable laboratory to study the Universe at previously inaccessible redshifts.

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Where's Swimmy?: Mining unique color features buried in galaxies by deep anomaly detection using Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam data

We present the Swimmy (Subaru WIde-field Machine-learning anoMalY) survey program, a deep-learning-based search for unique sources using multicolored ($grizy$) imaging data from the Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program (HSC-SSP). This program aims to detect unexpected, novel, and rare populations and phenomena, by utilizing the deep imaging data acquired from the wide-field coverage of the HSC-SSP. This article, as the first paper in the Swimmy series, describes an anomaly detection technique to select unique populations as "outliers" from the data-set. The model was tested with known extreme emission-line galaxies (XELGs) and quasars, which consequently confirmed that the proposed method successfully selected 60-70% of the quasars and 60% of the XELGs without labeled training data. In reference to the spectral information of local galaxies at $z=$0.05-0.2 obtained from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, we investigated the physical properties of the selected anomalies and compared them based on the significance of their outlier values. The results revealed that XELGs constitute notable fractions of the most anomalous galaxies, and certain galaxies manifest unique morphological features. In summary, a deep anomaly detection is an effective tool that can search rare objects, and ultimately, unknown unknowns with large data-sets. Further development of the proposed model and selection process can promote the practical applications required to achieve specific scientific goals.

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A Search for H-Dropout Lyman Break Galaxies at z~12-16

We present two bright galaxy candidates at z~12-13 identified in our H-dropout Lyman break selection with 2.3 deg2 near-infrared deep imaging data. These galaxy candidates, selected after careful screening of foreground interlopers, have spectral energy distributions showing a sharp discontinuity around 1.7 um, a flat continuum at 2-5 um, and non-detections at <1.2 um in the available photometric datasets, all of which are consistent with z>12 galaxy. An ALMA program targeting one of the candidates shows a tentative 4sigma [OIII]88um line at z=13.27, in agreement with its photometric redshift estimate. The number density of the z~12-13 candidates is comparable to that of bright z~10 galaxies, and is consistent with a recently proposed double power-law luminosity function rather than the Schechter function, indicating little evolution in the abundance of bright galaxies from z~4 to 13. Comparisons with theoretical models show that the models cannot reproduce the bright end of rest-frame ultraviolet luminosity functions at z~10-13. Combined with recent studies reporting similarly bright galaxies at z~9-11 and mature stellar populations at z~6-9, our results indicate the existence of a number of star-forming galaxies at z>10, which will be detected with upcoming space missions such as James Webb Space Telescope, Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, and GREX-PLUS.

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CHORUS IV: Mapping the Spatially Inhomogeneous Cosmic Reionization with Subaru HSC

The spatial inhomogeneity is one of the important features for understanding the reionization process; however, it has not yet been fully quantified. To map this inhomogeneous distribution, we simultaneously detect Ly$α$ emitters (LAEs) and Lyman break galaxies (LBGs) at $z \sim 6.6$ from the Subaru/Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) large-area ($\sim1.5\,\mathrm{ deg}^2 = 34000\,\mathrm{cMpc}^2$) deep survey. We estimate the neutral fraction, $x_\mathrm{HI}$, from the observed number density ratio of LAEs to LBGs, $n(\mathrm{LAE})/n(\mathrm{LBG})$ based on numerical radiative transfer simulation, in which model galaxies are selected to satisfy the observed selection function. While the average $x_\mathrm{HI}$ within the field of view is found to be $x_\mathrm{HI} < 0.4$, which is consistent with previous studies, the variation of $n(\mathrm{LAE})/n(\mathrm{LBG})$ within the field of view for each $140\,\mathrm{pMpc}^2$ is found to be as large as a factor of three. This may suggest a spatially inhomogeneous topology of reionization, but it also leaves open the possibility that the variation is based on the inherent large-scale structure of the galaxy distribution. Based on the simulations, it may be difficult to distinguish between the two from the current survey. We also find that LAEs in the high LAE density region are more populate high $\mathrm{EW}_0$, supporting that the observed $n(\mathrm{LAE})/n(\mathrm{LBG})$ is more or less driven by the neutral fraction, though the statistical significance is not high.

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FOREVER22: galaxy formation in protocluster regions

We present results from a new cosmological hydrodynamics simulation campaign of protocluster (PC) regions, FOREVER22: FORmation and EVolution of galaxies in Extremely-overdense Regions motivated by SSA22. The simulations cover a wide range of cosmological scales using three different zoom set-ups in a parent volume of $(714.2~\rm cMpc)^{3}$: PCR (Proto-Cluster Region; $V= (28.6~{\rm cMpc})^{3} $, SPH particle mass, $m_{\rm{SPH}} = 4.1 \times 10^{6}~\rm M_{\odot}$ and final redshift, $z_{\rm end}=2.0$), BCG (Brightest proto-Cluster Galaxy; $V \sim (10~{\rm cMpc})^{3} $, $m_{\rm SPH} = 5.0\times10^{5}~\rm M_{\odot}$ and $z_{\rm end}=4.0$ ), and First ( $V \sim (3~{\rm cMpc})^{3} $, $m_{\rm SPH} = 7.9 \times 10^{3}~\rm M_{\odot}$ and $z_{\rm end}=9.5$) runs, that allow to focus on different aspects of galaxy formation. In the PCR runs, we follow 10 PCs, each harbouring 1 - 4 SMBHs with $M_{\rm BH} \ge 10^{9}~\rm M_{\odot}$. One of the PC cores shows a spatially close arrangement of seven starburst galaxies with ${\rm SFR} \gtrsim 100~\rm M_{\odot}~yr^{-1}$ each, that are dust-obscured and would appear as submillimeter galaxies with flux $\gtrsim 1~$ mJy at $1.1~ \rm mm$ in observations. The BCG runs show that the total SFRs of haloes hosting BCGs are affected by AGN feedback, but exceed $1000~\rm M_{\odot}~yr^{-1}$ at $z \lesssim 6$. The First runs resolve mini-haloes hosting population (Pop) III stars and we show that, in PC regions, the dominant stellar population changes from Pop III to Pop II at $z \gtrsim 20$, and the first galaxies with ${\rm SFR} \gtrsim 18~\rm M_{\odot}~yr^{-1}$ form at $z \sim 10$. These can be prime targets for future observations with the James Webb Space Telescope. Our simulations successfully reproduce the global star formation activities in observed PCs and suggest that PCs can kickstart cosmic reionization.

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A Morphological Study on Galaxies Hosting Optical Variability-Selected AGNs in the COSMOS Field

The morphological study is crucial to investigate the connections between active galactic nuclei (AGN) activities and the evolution of galaxies. Substantial studies have found that radiative-mode AGNs primarily reside in disk galaxies, questioning the merger-driven mechanism of AGN activities. In this study, through S{é}rsic profile fitting and non-parametric morphological parameter measurements, we investigated the morphology of host galaxies of 485 optical variability-selected low luminosity AGNs at $z\lesssim4.26$ in the COSMOS field. We analyzed high-resolution images of the Hubble Space Telescope to measure these morphological parameters. We only successfully measured the morphological parameters for 76 objects and most AGN hosts ($\sim70\%$) were visually compact point-like sources. We examined the obtained morphological information as a function of redshift and compared them with literature data. We found that these AGN host galaxies showed no clear morphological preference. However, the merger rate increased with the higher hosts' SFRs and AGN luminosity. Interestingly, we found ongoing star formation consistent with the typical star forming populations in both elliptical and spiral galaxies while these two types of galaxies were more symmetric than normal star forming galaxies. These results suggested that optical variability-selected AGNs have} higher probabilities to reside in elliptical galaxies than infrared-selected AGNs (IR-AGNs), whose host galaxies had a strong disk-dominance, and supported recent studies that the AGN feedback could enhance star forming activities in host galaxies.

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GOLDRUSH. IV. Luminosity Functions and Clustering Revealed with ~4,000,000 Galaxies at z~2-7: Galaxy-AGN Transition, Star Formation Efficiency, and Implication for Evolution at z>10

We present new measurements of rest-UV luminosity functions and angular correlation functions from 4,100,221 galaxies at z~2-7 identified in the Subaru/Hyper Suprime-Cam survey and CFHT Large-Area U-band Survey. The obtained luminosity functions at z~4-7 cover a very wide UV luminosity range of ~0.002-2000L*uv combined with previous studies, revealing that the dropout luminosity function is a superposition of the AGN luminosity function dominant at Muv<-24 mag and the galaxy luminosity function dominant at Muv>-22 mag, consistent with galaxy fractions based on 1037 spectroscopically-identified sources. Galaxy luminosity functions estimated from the spectroscopic galaxy fractions show the bright end excess beyond the Schechter function at >2sigma levels, which is possibly made by inefficient mass quenching, low dust obscuration, and/or hidden AGN activity. By analyzing the correlation functions at z~2-6 with halo occupation distribution models, we find a weak redshift evolution (within 0.3 dex) of the ratio of the star formation rate (SFR) to the dark matter accretion rate, SFR/(dMh/dt), indicating the almost constant star formation efficiency at z~2-6, as suggested by our earlier work at z~4-7. Meanwhile, the ratio gradually increases with decreasing redshift at z<5 within 0.3 dex, which quantitatively reproduces the redshift evolution of the cosmic SFR density, suggesting that the evolution is primarily driven by the increase of the halo number density due to the structure formation, and the decrease of the accretion rate due to the cosmic expansion. Extrapolating this calculation to higher redshifts assuming the constant efficiency suggests a rapid decrease of the SFR density at z>10 with $\propto10^{-0.5(1+z)}$, which will be directly tested with JWST.

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EMPRESS. IV. Extremely Metal-Poor Galaxies (EMPGs) Including Very Low-Mass Primordial Systems with M*=10^4--10^5 M_sun and 2--3% (O/H)_sun: High (Fe/O) Suggestive of Metal Enrichment by Hypernovae/Pair-Instability Supernovae

We present Keck/LRIS follow-up spectroscopy for 13 photometric candidates of extremely metal poor galaxies (EMPGs) selected by a machine-learning technique applied to the deep (~26 AB mag) optical and wide-area (~500 deg^2) Subaru imaging data in the EMPRESS survey. Nine out of the 13 candidates are EMPGs with an oxygen abundance (O/H) less than ~10% solar value (O/H)_sun, and four sources are contaminants of moderately metal-rich galaxies or no emission-line objects. Notably, two out of the nine EMPGs have extremely-low stellar masses and oxygen abundances of 5*10^4--7*10^5 M_sun and 2--3% (O/H)_sun, respectively. With a sample of five EMPGs with (Fe/O) measurements, two (three) of which are taken from this study (the literature), we confirm that two EMPGs with the lowest (O/H) ratios of ~2% (O/H)_sun show high (Fe/O) ratios of ~0.1, close to the solar abundance ratio. Comparing galaxy chemical enrichment models, we find that the two EMPGs cannot be explained by a scenario of metal-poor gas accretion/episodic star-formation history due to their low (N/O) ratios. We conclude that the two EMPGs can be reproduced by an inclusion of bright hypernovae and/or hypothetical pair-instability supernovae (SNe) preferentially produced in a metal-poor environment. This conclusion implies that primordial galaxies at z~10 could have a high abundance of Fe that is not originated from Type Ia SNe with delays, and that Fe may not serve as a cosmic clock for primordial galaxies.

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Subaru/FOCAS IFU revealed the metallicity gradient of a local extremely metal-poor galaxy

We present the first measurement of the metallicity gradient in extremely metal-poor galaxies (EMPGs). With Subaru/Faint Object Camera And Spectrograph (FOCAS) Integral Field Unit (IFU), we have observed a nearby, low-mass EMPG, HSC J1631+4426, whose oxygen abundance and stellar mass are known to be 12+log(O/H) $=6.9$ and $\log_{10}(M_*/{\rm M}_\odot)=5.8$, respectively. The measured metallicity gradient is $-0.36 \pm 0.04$ dex kpc$^{-1}$ corresponding to $-0.049 \pm 0.006$ dex R$_\mathrm{e}^{-1}$ for the continuum effective radius of $R_\mathrm{e} = 0.14$ kpc. Our observation has successfully demonstrated that three-dimensional spectroscopy with 8m-class telescopes is powerful enough to reveal the metallicity distribution in local EMPGs, providing precious information of the baryon cycle in local analogs of primordial galaxies in the early Universe.

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Big Three Dragons: A [N II] 122 $μ$m Constraint and New Dust-continuum Detection of A $z = 7.15$ Bright Lyman Break Galaxy with ALMA

We present new Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array Band 7 observational results of a Lyman break galaxy at $ z=7.15 $, B14-65666 ("Big Three Dragons"), which is an object detected in [OIII] 88 $\rm{μm}$, [CII] 158 $\rm{μm}$, and dust-continuum emission during the epoch of reionization. Our targets are the [NII] 122 $\rm{μm}$ fine-structure emission line and underlying 120 $\rm{μm}$ dust continuum. The dust continuum is detected with a $ \sim $19$ σ$ significance. From far-infrared spectral energy distribution sampled at 90, 120, and 160 $\rm{μm}$, we obtaine a best-fit dust temperature of $ 40 $ K ($ 79 $ K) and an infrared luminosity of $ \log_{10}(L_{\rm IR}/{\rm L}_\odot)=11.6$ ($12.1$) at the emissivity index $ β= 2.0 $ (1.0). The [NII] 122 $\rm{μm}$ line is not detected. The 3$ σ$ upper limit of the [NII] luminosity is $ 8.1 \times 10^7\ {\rm L}_\odot$. From the [NII], [OIII], and [CII] line luminosities, we use the Cloudy photoionization code to estimate nebular parameters as functions of metallicity. If the metallicity of the galaxy is high ($ Z > 0.4\ {\rm Z}_\odot$), the ionization parameter and hydrogen density are $ \log_{10} U \simeq -2.7\pm0.1$ and $ n_\text{H} \simeq 50$-$250\ {\rm cm}^{-3}$, respectively, which are comparable to those measured in low-redshift galaxies. The nitrogen-to-oxygen abundance ratio, $\rm{N/O}$, is constrained to be sub-solar. At $ Z < 0.4\ {\rm Z}_\odot$, the allowed $ U $ drastically increases as the assumed metallicity decreases. For high ionization parameters, the $\rm{N/O}$ constraint becomes weak. Finally, our Cloudy models predict the location of B14-65666 on the BPT diagram, thereby allowing a comparison with low-redshift galaxies.

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