arXiv subjects

Jake Summers

Publications and source records attributed to Jake Summers.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2025

Galaxy Mergers in the Epoch of Reionization II: Major Merger-Triggered Star Formation and AGN Activities at $z =$ 4.5-8.5

Galaxy mergers are a key driver of galaxy formation and evolution, including the triggering of AGN and star formation to a still unknown degree. We thus investigate the impact of galaxy mergers on star formation and AGN activity using a sample of 3,330 galaxies at $z = [4.5, 8.5]$ from eight JWST fields (CEERS, JADES GOODS-S, NEP-TDF, NGDEEP, GLASS, El-Gordo, SMACS-0723, and MACS-0416), collectively covering an unmasked area of 189 arcmin$^2$. We focuses on star formation rate (SFR) enhancement, AGN fraction, and AGN excess in major merger ($μ> 1/4$) close-pair samples, defined by $Δz < 0.3$ and projected separations $r_p < 100$ kpc, compared to non-merger samples. We find that SFR enhancement occurs only at $r_p < 20$ kpc, with values of $0.25 \pm 0.10$ dex and $0.26 \pm 0.11$ dex above the non-merger medians for $z = [4.5, 6.5]$ and $z = [6.5, 8.5]$. No other statistically significant enhancements in galaxy sSFR or stellar mass are observed at any projected separation or redshift bin. We also compare our observational results with predictions from the SC-SAM simulation and find no evidence of star formation enhancement in the simulations at any separation range. Finally, we examine the AGN fraction and AGN excess, finding that the fraction of AGNs in AGN-galaxy pairs, relative to the total AGN population, is $3.25^{+1.50}_{-1.06}$ times greater than the fraction of galaxy pairs relative to the overall galaxy population at the same redshift. We find that nearly all AGNs have a companion within 100 kpc and observe an excess AGN fraction in close-pair samples compared to non-merger samples. This excess is found to be $1.26 \pm 0.06$ and $1.34 \pm 0.06$ for AGNs identified via the inferred BPT diagram and photometric SED selection, respectively.

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arXiv2024

Cosmic Stillness: High Quiescent Galaxy Fractions Across Upper Mass Scales in the Early Universe to z = 7 with JWST

We present a detailed investigation into the abundance and morphology of high redshift quenched galaxies at $3 < z < 7$ using James Webb Space Telescope data in the NEP, CEERS and JADES fields. Within these fields, we identify 90 candidate passive galaxies using specific star formation rates modelled with the BAGPIPES SED fitting code, which is more effective at identifying recently quenched systems than the classical UVJ method. With this sample of galaxies, we find number densities broadly consistent with other works and a rapidly evolving passive fraction of high mass galaxies ($\log_{10}{(M_{\star}/M_{\odot})} > $ 9.5) between $3 < z < 5$. We find that the fraction of galaxies with low star formation rates and mass 9.5 $ < \log_{10}{(M_{\star}/M_{\odot})} < $ 10.5 decreases from $\sim$25% at $3 < z < 4$ to $\sim$2% at $5 < z < 7$. Our passive sample of galaxies is shown to exhibit more compact light profiles compared to star-forming counterparts and some exhibit traces of AGN activity through detections in either the X-ray or radio. At the highest redshifts ($z > 6.5$) passive selections start to include examples of 'little red dots' which complicates any conclusions until their nature is better understood.

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arXiv2024

JWST view of four infant galaxies at z=8.31-8.49 in the MACS0416 field and implications for reionization

New JWST/NIRCam wide-field slitless spectroscopy provides redshifts for four z>8 galaxies located behind the lensing cluster MACS J0416.1-2403. Two of them, "Y1" and "JD", have previously reported spectroscopic redshifts based on ALMA measurements of [OIII] 88 $μ$m and/or [CII] 157.7 $μ$m lines. Y1 is a merging system of three components, and the existing redshift z=8.31 is confirmed. However, JD is at z=8.34 instead of the previously claimed z=9.28. JD's close companion, "JD-N", which was a previously discovered z>8 candidate, is now identified at the same redshift as JD. JD and JD-N form an interacting pair. A new candidate at z>8, "f090d_018", is also confirmed and is at z=8.49. These four objects are likely part of an overdensity that signposts a large structure extending ~165 kpc in projected distance and ~48.7 Mpc in radial distance. They are magnified by less than one magnitude and have intrinsic $M_{UV}$ ranging from -19.57 to -20.83 mag. Their spectral energy distributions show that the galaxies are all very young with ages ~ 4-18 Myr and stellar masses about $10^{7-8}$ ${\rm M_\odot}$. These infant galaxies have very different star formation rates ranging from a few to over a hundred $\rm{M_\odot}$ yr$^{-1}$, but only two of them (JD and f090d_018) have blue rest-frame UV slopes $β<-2.0$ indicative of a high Lyman-continuum photon escape fraction that could contribute significantly to the cosmic hydrogen-reionizing background. Interestingly, these two galaxies are the least massive and least active ones among the four. The other two systems have much flatter UV slopes largely because of their high dust extinction ($A_{\rm V}$=0.9-1.0 mag). Their much lower indicated escape fractions show that even very young, actively star-forming galaxies can have negligible contribution to reionization when they quickly form dust throughout their bodies.

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arXiv2024

PEARLS: Discovery of Point-Source Features Within Galaxies in the North Ecliptic Pole Time Domain Field

The first public 0.9-4.4μm NIRCam images of the North Ecliptic Pole (NEP) Time Domain Field (TDF) uncovered galaxies displaying point-source features in their cores as seen in the longer wavelength filters. We visually identified a sample of 66 galaxies (~1 galaxy per arcmin2) with point-like cores and have modeled their two-dimensional light profiles with GalFit, identifying 16 galactic nuclei with measurable point-source components. GalFit suggests the visual sample is a mix of both compact stellar bulge and point-source galaxy cores. This core classification is complemented by spectral energy distribution (SED) modeling to infer the sample's active galactic nucleus (AGN) and host-galaxy parameters. For galaxies with measurable point-source components, the median fractional AGN contribution to their 0.1-30.0μm flux is 0.44, and 14/16 are color-classified AGN. We conclude that near-infrared point-source galaxy cores are signatures of AGN. In addition, we define an automated sample-selection criterion to identify these point-source features. These criteria can be used in other extant and future NIRCam images to streamline the search for galaxies with unresolved IR-luminous AGN. The James Webb Space Telescope's superb angular resolution and sensitivity at infrared wavelengths is resurrecting the morphological identification of AGN.

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arXiv2024

JWST's PEARLS: 119 multiply imaged galaxies behind MACS0416, lensing properties of caustic crossing galaxies, and the relation between halo mass and number of globular clusters at $z=0.4$

We present a new lens model for the $z=0.396$ galaxy cluster MACS J0416.1$-$2403 based on a previously known set of 77 spectroscopically confirmed, multiply imaged galaxies plus an additional set of 42 candidate multiply imaged galaxies from past HST and new JWST data. The new galaxies lack spectroscopic redshifts but have geometric and/or photometric redshift estimates that are presented here. The new model predicts magnifications and time delays for all multiple images. The full set of constraints totals 343, constituting the largest sample of multiple images lensed by a single cluster to date. Caustic-crossing galaxies lensed by this cluster are especially interesting. Some of these galaxies show transient events, most of which are interpreted as micro-lensing of stars at cosmological distances. These caustic-crossing arcs are expected to show similar events in future, deeper JWST observations. We provide time delay and magnification models for all these arcs. The time delays and the magnifications for different arcs are generally anti-correlated, as expected from $N$-body simulations. In the major sub-halos of the cluster, the dark-matter mass from our lens model correlates well with the observed number of globular clusters. This confirms earlier results, derived at lower redshifts, which suggest that globular clusters can be used as powerful mass proxies for the halo masses when lensing constraints are scarce or not available.

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arXiv2024

EPOCHS I. The Discovery and Star Forming Properties of Galaxies in the Epoch of Reionization at $6.5 < z < 18$ with PEARLS and Public JWST data

We present in this paper the discovery, properties, and a catalog of 1165 high redshift $6.5 < z < 18$ galaxies found in deep JWST NIRCam imaging from the GTO PEARLS survey combined with data from JWST public fields. We describe our bespoke homogeneous reduction process and our analysis of these areas including the NEP, CEERS, GLASS, NGDEEP, JADES, and ERO SMACS-0723 fields with over 214 arcmin$^{2}$ imaged to depths of $\sim 30$ mag. We describe our rigorous methods for identifying these galaxies, involving the use of Lyman-break strength, detection significance criteria, visual inspection, and integrated photometric redshifts probability distributions predominately at high redshift. Our sample is a robust and highly pure collection of distant galaxies from which we also remove brown dwarf stars, and calculate completeness and contamination from simulations. We include a summary of the basic properties of these $z > 6.5$ galaxies, including their redshift distributions, UV absolute magnitudes, and star formation rates. Our study of these young galaxies reveals a wide range of stellar population properties as seen in their colors and SED fits which we compare to stellar population models, indicating a range of star formation histories, dust, AGN and/or nebular emission. We find a strong trend exists between stellar mass and $(U-V)$ color, as well as the existence of the `main-sequence' of star formation for galaxies as early as $z \sim 12$. This indicates that stellar mass, or an underlying variable correlating with stellar mass, is driving galaxy formation, in agreement with simulation predictions. We also discover ultra-high redshift candidates at $z > 12$ in our sample and describe their properties. Finally, we note a significant observed excess of galaxies compared to models at $z > 12$, revealing a tension between predictions and our observations.

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arXiv2024

EPOCHS III: Unbiased UV continuum slopes at 6.5<z<13 from combined PEARLS GTO and public JWST NIRCam imaging

We present an analysis of rest-frame UV continuum slopes, $β$, using a sample of 1011 galaxies at $6.5<z<13$ from the EPOCHS photometric sample collated from the GTO PEARLS and public ERS/GTO/GO (JADES, CEERS, NGDEEP, GLASS) JWST NIRCam imaging across $178.9~\mathrm{arcmin}^2$ of unmasked blank sky. We correct our UV slopes for the photometric error coupling bias using $200,000$ power law SEDs for each $β=\{-1,-1.5,-2,-2.5,-3\}$ in each field, finding biases as large as $Δβ\simeq-0.55$ for the lowest SNR galaxies in our sample. Additionally, we simulate the impact of rest-UV line emission (including Ly$α$) and damped Ly$α$ systems on our measured $β$, finding biases as large as $0.5-0.6$ for the most extreme systems. We find a decreasing trend with redshift of $β=-1.51\pm0.08-(0.097\pm0.010)\times z$, with potential evidence for Pop.~III stars or top-heavy initial mass functions (IMFs) in a subsample of 68 $β+σ_β<-2.8$ galaxies. At $z\simeq11.5$, we measure an extremely blue $β(M_{\mathrm{UV}}=-19)=-2.73\pm0.06$, deviating from simulations, indicative of low-metallicity galaxies with non-zero Lyman continuum escape fractions $f_{\mathrm{esc, LyC}}\gtrsim0$ and minimal dust content. The observed steepening of $\mathrm{d}β/\mathrm{d}\log_{10}(M_{\star}/\mathrm{M}_{\odot})$ from $0.22\pm0.02$ at $z=7$ to $0.81\pm0.13$ at $z=11.5$ implies that dust produced in core-collapse supernovae (SNe) at early times may be ejected via outflows from low mass galaxies. We also observe a flatter $\mathrm{d}β/\mathrm{d}M_{\mathrm{UV}}=0.03\pm0.02$ at $z=7$ and a shallower $\mathrm{d}β/\mathrm{d}\log_{10}(M_{\star} / \mathrm{M}_{\odot})$ at $z<11$ than seen by HST, unveiling a new population of low mass, faint, galaxies reddened by dust produced in the stellar winds of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars or carbon-rich Wolf-Rayet binaries.

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arXiv2024

EPOCHS IX. When cosmic dawn breaks: Evidence for evolved stellar populations in $7 < z < 12$ galaxies from PEARLS GTO and public NIRCam imaging

The presence of evolved stars in high-redshift galaxies can place valuable indirect constraints on the onset of star formation in the Universe. Thus we use PEARLS GTO and public NIRCam photometric data to search for Balmer-break candidate galaxies at $7 < z < 12$. We find that our Balmer-break candidates at $z \sim 10.5$ tend to be older (115 Myr), have lower inferred [O III] + H$β$ emission line equivalent widths (120 Å), have lower specific star formation rates (6 Gyr$^{-1}$) and redder UV slopes ($β= -1.8$) than our control sample of galaxies. However, these trends all become less strong at $z \sim 8$, where the F444W filter now probes the strong rest-frame optical emission lines, thus providing additional constraints on the current star formation activity of these galaxies. Indeed, the bursty nature of Epoch of Reionisation galaxies can lead to a disconnect between their current SED profiles and their more extended star-formation histories. We discuss how strong emission lines, the cumulative effect of weak emission lines, dusty continua and AGN can all contribute to the photometric excess seen in the rest-frame optical, thus mimicking the signature of a Balmer break. Additional medium-band imaging will thus be essential to more robustly identify Balmer-break galaxies. However, the Balmer break alone cannot serve as a definitive proxy for the stellar age of galaxies, being complexly dependent on the star-formation history. Ultimately, deep NIRSpec continuum spectroscopy and MIRI imaging will provide the strongest indirect constraints on the formation era of the first galaxies in the Universe, thereby revealing when cosmic dawn breaks.

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arXiv2024

EPOCHS Paper II: The Ultraviolet Luminosity Function from $7.5<z<13.5$ using 180 square arcminutes of deep, blank-fields from the PEARLS Survey and Public JWST data

We present an analysis of the ultraviolet luminosity function (UV LF) and star formation rate density of distant galaxies ($7.5 < z < 13.5$) in the `blank' fields of the Prime Extragalactic Areas for Reionization Science (PEARLS) survey combined with Early Release Science (ERS) data from the CEERS, GLASS, NGDEEP surveys/fields and the first data release of JADES. We use strict quality cuts on EAZY photometric redshifts to obtain a reliable selection and characterisation of high-redshift ($z>6.5$) galaxies from a consistently processed set of deep, near-infrared imaging. Within an area of 180 arcmin$^{2}$, we identify 1046 candidate galaxies at redshifts $z>6.5$ and we use this sample to study the ultraviolet luminosity function (UV LF) in four redshift bins between $7.5<z<13.5$. The measured number density of galaxies at $z=8$ and $z=9$ match those of past observations undertaken by the {\em Hubble Space Telescope} (HST). Our $z=10.5$ measurements lie between early JWST results and past HST results, indicating cosmic variance may be the cause of previous high density measurements. However, number densities of UV luminous galaxies at $z=12.5$ are high compared to predictions from simulations. When examining the star formation rate density of galaxies at this time period, our observations are still largely consistent with a constant star formation efficiency, are slightly lower than previous early estimations using JWST and support galaxy driven reionization at $z\leq8$.

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arXiv2024

JWST NIRCam Photometry: A Study of Globular Clusters Surrounding Bright Elliptical Galaxy VV 191a at z=0.0513

James Webb Space Telescope NIRCam images have revealed 154 reliable globular cluster (GC) candidates around the $z = 0.0513$ elliptical galaxy VV~191a after subtracting 34 likely interlopers from background galaxies inside our search area. NIRCam broadband observations are made at 0.9-4.5 $μ$m using the F090W, F150W, F356W, and F444W filters. Using PSF-matched photometry, the data are analyzed to present color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs) and color distributions that suggest a relatively uniform population of GCs, except for small fractions of reddest (5-8%) and bluest (2-4%) outliers. GC models in the F090W vs. (F090-F150W) diagram fit the NIRCam data well and show that the majority of GCs detected have a mass of approximately $\sim$$10^{6.5}$$M_{\odot}$, with metallicities [Fe/H] spanning the typical range expected for GCs (-2.5$\le$ [Fe/H]$\le$ 0.5). However, the models predict $\sim$0.3-0.4 mag bluer (F356W-F444W) colors than the NIRCam data for a reasonable range of GC ages, metallicities, and reddening. Although our data does not quite reach the luminosity function turnover, the measured luminosity function is consistent with previous measurements, suggesting an estimated peak at $m_{\rm AB}$$\sim$-9.4 mag, $\pm$0.2 mag in the F090W filter.

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arXiv2024

Magellanic System Stars Identified in SMACS J0723.3-7327 James Webb Space Telescope Early Release Observations Images

We identify 71 distant stars in JWST/NIRCam ERO images of the field of galaxy cluster SMACS J0723.3-7327 (SMACS 0723). Given the relatively small ($\sim$$10^{\circ}$) angular separation between SMACS 0723 and the Large Magellanic Cloud, it is likely that these stars are associated with the LMC outskirts or Leading Arm. This is further bolstered by a spectral energy distribution analysis, which suggests an excess of stars at a physical distance of $40-100$ kpc, consistent with being associated with or located behind the Magellanic system. In particular, we find that the overall surface density of stars brighter than 27.0 mag in the field of SMACS 0723 is $\sim$2.3 times that of stars in a blank field with similar galactic latitude (the North Ecliptic Pole Time Domain Field), and that the density of stars in the SMACS 0723 field with SED-derived distances consistent with the Magellanic system is $\sim$6.1 times larger than that of the blank field. The candidate stars at these distances are consistent with a stellar population at the same distance modulus with [Fe/H] $= -1.0$ and an age of $\sim$$5.0$ Gyr. On the assumption that all of the 71 stars are associated with the LMC, then the stellar density of the LMC at the location of the SMACS 0723 field is $\sim$$740$ stars kpc$^{-3}$, which helps trace the density of stars in the LMC outskirts.

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arXiv2024

A search for high-redshift direct-collapse black hole candidates in the PEARLS north ecliptic pole field

Direct-collapse black holes (DCBHs) of mass $\sim 10^4$-$10^5 {M}_\odot$ that form in HI-cooling halos in the early Universe are promising progenitors of the $\gtrsim 10^9 {M}_\odot$ supermassive black holes that fuel observed $z \gtrsim 7$ quasars. Efficient accretion of the surrounding gas onto such DCBH seeds may render them sufficiently bright for detection with the JWST up to $z\approx 20$. Additionally, the very steep and red spectral slope predicted across the $\approx 1$-5 $μ$m wavelength range of the JWST/NIRSpec instrument during their initial growth phase should make them photometrically identifiable up to very high redshifts. In this work, we present a search for such DCBH candidates across the 34 arcmin$^{2}$ in the first two spokes of the JWST cycle-1 PEARLS survey of the north ecliptic pole time-domain field covering eight NIRCam filters down to a maximum depth of $\sim$ 29 AB mag. We identify two objects with spectral energy distributions consistent with the Pacucci et al. (2016) DCBH models. However, we also note that even with data in eight NIRCam filters, objects of this type remain degenerate with dusty galaxies and obscured active galactic nuclei over a wide range of redshifts. Follow-up spectroscopy would be required to pin down the nature of these objects. Based on our sample of DCBH candidates and assumptions on the typical duration of the DCBH steep-slope state, we set a conservative upper limit of $\lesssim 5\times 10^{-4}$ comoving Mpc$^{-3}$ (cMpc$^{-3}$) on the comoving density of host halos capable of hosting DCBHs with spectral energy distributions similar to the Pacucci et al. (2016) models at $z\approx 6$-14.

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arXiv2024

JWST's PEARLS: Improved Flux Calibration for NIRCam

The Prime Extragalactic Areas for Reionization and Lensing Science (PEARLS), a JWST GTO program, obtained a set of unique NIRCam observations that have enabled us to significantly improve the default photometric calibration across both NIRCam modules. The observations consisted of three epochs of 4-band (F150W, F200W, F356W, and F444W) NIRCam imaging in the Spitzer IRAC Dark Field (IDF). The three epochs were six months apart and spanned the full duration of Cycle 1. As the IDF is in the JWST continuous viewing zone, we were able to design the observations such that the two modules of NIRCam, modules A and B, were flipped by 180 degrees and completely overlapped each other's footprints in alternate epochs. We were therefore able to directly compare the photometry of the same objects observed with different modules and detectors, and we found significant photometric residuals up to ~ 0.05 mag in some detectors and filters, for the default version of the calibration files that we used (jwst_1039.pmap). Moreover, there are multiplicative gradients present in the data obtained in the two long-wavelength bands. The problem is less severe in the data reduced using the latest pmap (jwst_1130.pmap as of September 2023), but it is still present, and is non-negligible. We provide a recipe to correct for this systematic effect to bring the two modules onto a more consistent calibration, to a photometric precision better than ~ 0.02 mag.

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arXiv2024

PEARLS: A Potentially Isolated Quiescent Dwarf Galaxy with a TRGB Distance of 30 Mpc

A wealth of observations have long suggested that the vast majority of isolated classical dwarf galaxies ($M_*=10^7$-$10^9$ M$_\odot$) are currently star-forming. However, recent observations of the large abundance of "Ultra-Diffuse Galaxies" beyond the reach of previous large spectroscopic surveys suggest that our understanding of the dwarf galaxy population may be incomplete. Here we report the serendipitous discovery of an isolated quiescent dwarf galaxy in the nearby Universe, which was imaged as part of the PEARLS GTO program. Remarkably, individual red-giant branch stars are visible in this near-IR imaging, suggesting a distance of $30\pm4$ Mpc, and a wealth of archival photometry point to an sSFR of $2\times10^{-11}$ yr$^{-1}$ and SFR of $4\times10^{-4}$ M$_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$. Spectra obtained with the Lowell Discovery Telescope find a recessional velocity consistent with the Hubble Flow and ${>}1500$ km/s separated from the nearest massive galaxy in SDSS, suggesting that this galaxy was either quenched from internal mechanisms or had a very high-velocity ($>1000$ km/s) interaction with a nearby massive galaxy in the past. This analysis highlights the possibility that many nearby quiescent dwarf galaxies are waiting to be discovered and that JWST has the potential to resolve them.

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arXiv2023

Star formation and AGN activity 500 Myr after the Big Bang: Insights from JWST

We consider the effect of including an active galactic nuclei (AGN) component when fitting spectral energy distributions of 109 spectroscopically confirmed $z\approx 3.5-12.5$ galaxies with JWST. Remarkably, we find that the resulting cosmic star formation history is $\approx 0.4$ dex lower at $z\gtrsim 9.5$ when an AGN component is included in the fitting. This alleviates previously reported excess star formation at $z\gtrsim 9.5$ compared to models based on typical baryon conversion efficiencies inside dark matter halos. We find that the individual stellar masses and star formation rates can be as much as $\approx 4$ dex lower when fitting with an AGN component. These results highlight the importance of considering both stellar mass assembly and supermassive black hole growth when interpreting the light distributions of among the first galaxies to ever exist.

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arXiv2023

The JWST Discovery of the Triply-imaged Type Ia "Supernova H0pe" and Observations of the Galaxy Cluster PLCK G165.7+67.0

A Type Ia supernova (SN) at $z=1.78$ was discovered in James Webb Space Telescope Near Infrared Camera imaging of the galaxy cluster PLCK G165.7+67.0 (G165; $z = 0.35$). The SN is situated 1.5-2 kpc from the host-galaxy nucleus and appears in three different locations as a result of gravitational lensing by G165. These data can yield a value for Hubble's constant using time delays from this multiply-imaged SN Ia that we call "SN H0pe." Over the cluster, we identified 21 image multiplicities, confirmed five of them using the Near-Infrared Spectrograph, and constructed a new lens model that gives a total mass within 600 kpc of ($2.6 \pm 0.3) \times 10^{14}$ $M_{\odot}$. The photometry uncovered a galaxy overdensity coincident with the SN host galaxy. NIRSpec confirmed six member galaxies, four of which surround the SN host galaxy with relative velocity $\lesssim$900 km s$^{-1}$ and projected physical extent $\lesssim$33 kpc. This compact galaxy group is dominated by the SN host galaxy, which has a stellar mass of $(5.0 \pm 0.1) \times 10^{11}$ $M_{\odot}$. The group members have specific star-formation rates of 2-260 Gyr$^{-1}$ derived from the H$α$-line fluxes corrected for stellar absorption, dust extinction, and slit losses. Another group centered on a strongly-lensed dusty star forming galaxy is at $z=2.24$. The total (unobscured and obscured) SFR of this second galaxy group is estimated to be ($\gtrsim$100 $M_{\odot}$ yr$^{-1}$), which translates to a supernova rate of $\sim$1 SNe yr$^{-1}$, suggesting that regular monitoring of this cluster may yield additional SNe.

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arXiv2023

A Lens Finder Map to check claimed High-z Galaxies behind SMACS J0723.3-7327

The first science image released by the JWST reveals numerous galaxies in the distant background of the galaxy cluster SMACS J0723.3-7327. Some have claimed redshifts of up to $z \simeq 20$, challenging standard cosmological models for structure formation. Here, we present a lens model for SMACS J0723.3-7327 anchored on five spectroscopically-confirmed systems at $1.38 \leq z \leq 2.21$ that are multiply lensed, along with twelve other systems with proposed image counterparts sharing common colours, spectral energy distributions, and morphological features, but having unknown redshifts. Constrained only by their image positions and, where available, redshifts, our lens model correctly reproduces the positions and correctly predicts the morphologies and relative brightnesses of all these image counterparts, as well as providing geometrically-determined redshifts spanning $1.4 \lesssim z \lesssim 6.7$ for the twelve candidate multiply-lensed galaxies lacking spectroscopic measurements. From this lens model, we create a lens finder map that defines regions over which galaxies beyond a certain redshift are predicted to be multiply lensed. Applying this map to three galaxies claimed to be at $10 \lesssim z \lesssim 20$, we find no image counterparts at locations (with an uncertainty of $\sim$$0.^{\prime\prime}5$) where they ought to be sufficiently magnified to be detectable - suggesting instead that these galaxies lie at $z \lesssim 1.7-3.2$. In lieu of spectroscopy, the creation of reliable lens finder maps for cluster fields are urgently needed to test and constrain redshifts inferred from photometry for a rapidly increasing number of candidate high-$z$ galaxies found with the JWST.

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arXiv2023

JWST's PEARLS: Transients in the MACS J0416.1-2403 Field

With its unprecedented sensitivity and spatial resolution, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has opened a new window for time-domain discoveries in the infrared. Here we report observations in the only field that has received four epochs (spanning 126 days) of JWST NIRCam observations in Cycle 1. This field is towards MACS J0416.1-2403, which is a rich galaxy cluster at redshift z=0.4 and is one of the Hubble Frontier Fields. We have discovered 14 transients from these data. Twelve of these transients happened in three galaxies (with z=0.94, 1.01, and 2.091) crossing a lensing caustic of the cluster,and these transients are highly magnified by gravitational lensing. These 12 transients are likely of similar nature to those previously reported based on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) data in this field, i.e., individual stars in the highly magnified arcs. However, these twelve could not have been found by HST because they are too red and too faint. The other two transients are associated with background galaxies (z=2.205 and 0.7093) that are only moderately magnified, and they are likely supernovae. They indicate a de-magnified supernova surface density, when monitored at a time cadence of a few months to a ~3--4 micron survey limit of AB ~ 28.5 mag, of ~0.5 per sq. arcmin integrated to z ~ 2. This survey depth is beyond the capability of HST but can be easily reached by JWST.

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