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Lukas J. Furtak

Publications and source records attributed to Lukas J. Furtak.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Little Red Dot $-$ Host Galaxy $=$ Black Hole Star: A Gas-Enshrouded Heart at the Center of Every Little Red Dot

The central engines of Little Red Dots (LRDs) may be ``black hole stars" (BH*s), early stages of black hole growth characterized by dense gas envelopes. So far, the most direct evidence for BH*s comes from a handful of sources where the host galaxy is completely outshone as suggested by their remarkably steep Balmer breaks. Here we present a novel scheme to disentangle BH*s from their host galaxies assuming that the [OIII]5008Å line arises exclusively from the host. Using a sample of 98 LRDs ($z$~$2-9$) with high quality NIRSpec/PRISM spectra, we demonstrate that the host-subtracted median stack displays a Balmer break $>2\times$ stronger than massive quiescent galaxies, with the rest-optical continuum resembling a blackbody-like SED ($T_{\rm{eff}}$~$4050$ K, $\log(L_{\rm{bol}})$~$43.9$ erg s$^{-1}$, $R_{\rm{eff}}$~$1300$ au). We measure a steep Balmer decrement (H$α$/H$β>10$) and numerous density-sensitive features (e.g., FeII, HeI, OI). These are hallmark signatures of dense gas envelopes, providing population-level evidence that BH*s indeed power LRDs. In the median LRD, BH*s account for $\sim20\%$ of the UV emission, $\sim50\%$ at the Balmer break, and $\sim90\%$ at wavelengths longer than H$α$ with the remainder arising from the host. BH*s preferentially reside in low-mass galaxies ($M_{\rm{\star}}$~$10^{8}\,{\rm M}_{\rm{\odot}}$) undergoing recent starbursts, as evidenced by extreme emission line EWs (e.g., [OIII]5008Å~$1100$Å, CIII]~$12$Å), thereby favoring BH* origins linked to star-formation. We show V-shaped LRD selections are biased to high BH*/host fractions ($\gtrsim60\%$ at 5500Å) -- less dominant BH*s may be powering JWST's blue broad-line AGN. We find BH*s are so commonplace and transient (duty cycle $\sim1\%$, lifetime $\sim10$ Myrs) that every massive black hole may have once shone as a BH*.

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Other red dots: A possible GLIMPSE of normal AGB stars at Cosmic Noon through extreme lensing

We report the discovery of four extremely faint ($m_{\mathrm{F444W}}\gtrsim29$) red point sources in recent ultra-deep JWST/NIRCam images of the strong lensing galaxy cluster Abell S1063. All four sources sit in lensed arcs, on the symmetry points very close to the critical curves for their host-galaxies' redshifts ($z\sim1-4$). Remarkably, these point sources appear in most arcs that are sufficiently faint close to the critical curve's position ($<21\,\mathrm{nJy}\,\mathrm{arcsec}^{-2}$ in F115W). This suggests that -- unlike previous caustic-crossing events or lensed stars -- thanks to the unprecedented depth of the GLIMPSE observations paired with the extreme lensing magnification (up to $μ\sim10^4$) we might be resolving the lower-mass ($M\sim1-11\,\mathrm{M}_{\odot}$) red stellar population. Concretely, we detect three likely extremely magnified asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars ($T_{\mathrm{eff}}\sim3200-3750$ K), and one yellow super-giant star ($T_{\mathrm{eff}}\sim6750$ K) -- possibly a yellow hyper-giant or a Cepheid. In addition to offering the first glimpse at low-mass extremely magnified stars, these detections open a possible window into stellar populations, evolution, and chemical enrichment at high redshifts, and could pave the way for using lensed stars such as these as standard candles to populate the distance ladder at cosmological redshifts.

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A Fleeting GLIMPSE of N/O Enrichment at Cosmic Dawn: Evidence for Wolf Rayet N Stars in a z = 6.1 Galaxy

We present the discovery of extreme nitrogen enrichment by Wolf Rayet nitrogen stars (WN) in the metal-poor (~10% Z_odot), lensed, compact (R_eff ~ 20 pc) galaxy RXCJ2248 at z=6.1, revealed by unprecedentedly deep JWST/NIRSpec medium-resolution spectroscopy from the GLIMPSE-D Survey. The exquisite S/N reveals multiple high-ionization nebular lines and broad Balmer and [OIII] components (FWHM~700-3000 km/s). We detect broadened HeII 1640 and 4687 (FWHM~530 km/s) and strong NIII] 4642 emission consistent with a population of WN stars, making RXCJ2248 the most distant galaxy with confirmed WR features to date. We measure the multi-phase nebular density across five ions, the direct-method metallicity (12+log(O/H)= 7.749+/-0.023), and a non-uniform elemental enrichment pattern of extreme N/O enhancement (log(N/O)=-0.390+/-0.035 from N^+, N^+2, and N^+3) and suppressed C/O relative to empirical C/N trends. We show that this abundance pattern can be explained by enrichment from a dual-burst with a low WC/WN ratio, as expected at low metallicities. Crucially, these signatures can only arise during a brief, rare evolutionary window shortly after a burst (~3-6 Myr), when WN stars dominate chemical feedback but before dilution by later yields (e.g., supernovae). The observed frequency of strong N emitters at high-z implies a ~50 Myr burst duty cycle, suggesting that N/O outliers may represent a brief but ubiquitous phase in the evolution of highly star-forming early galaxies. The detection in RXCJ2248, therefore, provides the first direct evidence of WN-driven chemical enrichment in the early Universe and a novel timing argument for the bursty star formation cycles that shaped galaxies at cosmic dawn.

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A Glimpse of the Low-Mass End of the Direct Mass-Metallicity Relation at $z\sim6-8$

The competition between metal synthesis and feedback from massive stars establishes the mass-metallicity relation (MZR) at low-redshifts. Examining this relation at higher redshifts, particularly at the low-mass end $\lesssim10^{8}\,{\rm M_\odot}$, is essential for understanding chemical enrichment and stellar feedback. In this study, we utilize the deep ($\sim30\,$hrs) JWST/NIRSpec G395M GLIMPSE-D survey of the lensed field Abell S1063, to explore the low-mass end of the MZR at high redshift ($z\sim6-8$). We identify eight [OIII]$λ$4364 emitters, enabling the most reliable "direct" metallicity measurements in galaxies down to stellar masses of $\sim10^{6-8}\,{\rm M_\odot}$. By combining our sample and galaxies with [OIII]$λ$4364 detections from the literature, we calculate direct metallicities for 21 galaxies. We compare our direct metallicities to those derived from strong-line diagnostics, and find them to be consistent with previous calibrations. We fit the MZR at $10^{6.7-9}\,M_{\odot}$ with $\sim0.3-0.5$ dex lower metallicity than local galaxies at similar stellar mass. We find the slope to be $0.25\pm0.10$, comparable to the local MZR; and the MZR exhibits a scatter of $\sim0.2\,$dex, which is larger than the local MZR, The lower metallicities may reflect denser, more gas-rich early environments, with continuous inflow of metal-poor gas diluting the ISM metallicity. In addition, we show that in extremely high electron densities ($n_e \gtrsim 10^5\,{\rm cm^{-3}}$), metallicities can be significantly underestimated ($\sim0.5$ dex), if lower $n_e$ are assumed for galaxies with high $n_e$. In a nutshell, these observations provide the first glimpse of the low-mass MZR at $z\sim6-8$ using direct metallicity measurements. More deep spectroscopic observations in lensed fields will be critical to robustly characterize the MZR and chemical evolution in the early universe.

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How I Wonder What You Are -- JWST's Little Red Dots do not TWINKLE

Little Red Dots (LRDs) are a population of compact, red sources that have emerged as one of the most puzzling findings of JWST. Variability provides a direct probe of their central engines. Here we present the first joint spectroscopic and photometric time-domain study of LRDs undertaken with the JWST TWINKLE slitless spectroscopy program. Surveying the FRESCO GOODS-North legacy field, TWINKLE monitors a complete, H$α$-flux-limited sample of 18 LRDs at z = 3.9-6.8, achieving a rest-frame baseline of $\sim$140-220 days. We detect no variability in photometry, H$α$ line flux, or line shape across the sample. If LRDs resembled AGN in reverberation mapping samples -- the foundation for black hole mass calibrations and luminosity scaling relations -- we would expect >10 sources to show measurable fluctuations. Observing none implies a 5.9$σ$ deficit. The non-detections hold across all broad H$α$ emitters within TWINKLE's field of view -- the 18 V-shaped LRDs as well as 9 non-LRDs. Comparison with simulated light curves disfavors sub-Eddington accretion and is instead consistent with super-Eddington accretion, other mechanisms that suppress variability, or perhaps no AGN whatsoever. If LRDs do harbor black holes, calibrations derived from sub-Eddington systems may not apply, thereby explaining JWST's apparently "overmassive" black holes. These observations provide unique constraints on the physics of one of the most enigmatic populations discovered by JWST.

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SPURS: Evidence for Clumpy Neutral Envelopes and Ionized IGM Surrounding Little Red Dots in Abell 2744 from Ultra-Deep Rest-UV Spectroscopy

Rest-frame ultraviolet (UV) spectra of Little Red Dots (LRDs) often show Ly$α$ emission. Along with broad Balmer emission, LRDs are expected to produce broad Ly$α$ emission. However, the large column density of neutral gas invoked to explain the Balmer break should significantly redshift and further broaden the Ly$α$ line, making it challenging to detect without sensitive, moderate-resolution spectra. We present ultra-deep (29 hours) G140M JWST/NIRSpec observations covering the rest-UV of two LRDs in Abell2744 from the SPURS Cycle 4 Large Program. One of our targets is Abell2744-QSO1, a gravitationally-lensed LRD at $z=7.04$ with faint UV emission (M$_{\rm UV}=-16.9$), and the other source (UNCOVER-2476) is newly-confirmed at $z=4.02$ with a very bright UV continuum (M$_{\rm UV}=-19.6$). We find that Abell2744-QSO1 has a broad Ly$α$ profile, along with narrow CIV, FeII$\lambda1786$, and OI$\lambda1302$ emission. The Ly$α$ profile suggests an origin similar to the broad H$α$, but the line is considerably less redshifted than expected from existing dense gas models. We show that the line profile can be explained if the dense neutral gas is clumpy, allowing Ly$α$ to escape by scattering off of the clump surfaces. We find that UNCOVER-2476 has narrow [NeIV] emission, indicating either a hard radiation field or shocks. We confirm two close neighbors with Ly$α$ emission around Abell2744-QSO1, indicating it traces a dense environment that may have ionized its surrounding IGM. We suggest that LRDs may preferentially trace bubbles carved by their dense environments, contributing to the prevalence of Ly$α$ in the population.

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A GLIMPSE into the very faint-end of the H$β$+[OIII]$λλ$4960,5008 luminosity function at z=7-9 behind Abell S1063

We use the ultra-deep GLIMPSE JWST/NIRCam survey to constrain the faint-end of the H$β$+[OIII]$λλ$4960,5008 luminosity function (LF) down to $10^{39}$ erg/s at z=7-9 behind the lensed Hubble Frontier Field Abell S1063. We perform SED fitting on a Lyman-Break Galaxy sample, measuring combined H$β$+[OIII] fluxes to construct the emission-line LF. The resulting LF ($α$=-1.55 to -1.78) is flatter than the UV LF ($α<-2$), indicating a lower number density of low H$β$+[OIII] emitters at fixed MUV. We explore three explanations: (i) bursty star formation histories reducing the H$β$+[OIII]-to-UV ratio, (ii) metallicity effects on [OIII]/H$β$, or (iii) a faint-end turnover in the UV LF. Assuming an evolving [OIII]/H$β$ ratio, we derive a flatter [OIII]$λ$5008 LF ($α$=-1.45 to -1.66) and a steeper H$β$ LF ($α$=-1.68 to -1.95). The combination of decreasing metallicity and bursty star formation can reconcile the UV and H$β$+[OIII] LF differences. Converting the LF to the ionising photon production rate, we find that galaxies with H$α$ flux $>10^{39}$ erg/s (SFR(H$α$)$>5\times10^{-3} M_\odot$/yr) contribute 31%-90% and 46%-156% of the ionising photon budget at 7<z<8 and 8<z<9, respectively (for $f_{esc}=0.14$). The LF shape suggests faint galaxies contribute minimally to the ionising photon production rate. Our cosmic star formation rate density (CSFRD) estimates align with previous work, but GLIMPSE's sensitivity to low SFRs confirms that very faint galaxies are minor contributors to both the ionising photon production rate and the CSFRD. Our results suggest that GLIMPSE has detected the bulk of the total H$β$+[OIII] emission from star-forming galaxies, with fainter sources playing a limited role in cosmic reionisation.

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Discovery of Ancient Globular Cluster Candidates in the Relic, a Quiescent Galaxy at $z=2.5$

Globular clusters (GCs) are some of the oldest bound structures in the Universe, holding clues to the earliest epochs of star formation and galaxy assembly. However, accurate age measurements of ancient clusters are challenging due to the age-metallicity degeneracy. Here, we report the discovery of 36 compact stellar systems within the 'Relic', a massive, quiescent galaxy at $z=2.53$. The Relic resides in an overdensity behind the Abell~2744 cluster, with a prominent tidal tail extending towards two low-mass companions. Using deep data from the UNCOVER/MegaScience JWST Surveys, we find that clusters formed in age intervals ranging from 8~Myr up to $\sim2$~Gyr, suggesting a rich formation history starting at $z\sim10$. While the cluster-based star formation history is broadly consistent with the high past star formation rates derived from the diffuse host galaxy light, one potential discrepancy is a tentative $\sim2-3\times$ higher rate in the cluster population for the past Gyr. Taken together with the spatial distribution and low inferred metallicities of these young-to-intermediate age clusters, we may be seeing direct evidence for the accretion of star clusters in addition to their early in situ formation. The cluster masses are high, $\sim10^6-10^7~M_{\odot}$, which may explain why we are able to detect them around this likely post-merger galaxy. Overall, the Relic clusters are consistent with being precursors of the most-massive present-day GCs. This unique laboratory enables the first connection between long-lived, high-redshift clusters and local stellar populations, offering insights into the early stages of GC evolution and the broader processes of galaxy assembly.

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Diversity and Evolution of Dust Attenuation Curves from Redshift z ~ 1 to 9

The UV-optical dust attenuation curve is key to interpreting the intrinsic properties of galaxies and provides insights into the nature of dust grains and their geometry relative to stars. In this work, we constrain the UV-optical slope of the stellar attenuation curve using a spectroscopic-redshift sample of ~3800 galaxies at z~1-9, to characterize the diversity and redshift evolution of stellar attenuation curves and to gain insight into dust production and evolution at high redshifts. The sample is constructed from three JWST/NIRCam grism surveys in GOODS and A2744 fields, with a wealth of JWST/NIRCam and HST photometry. With constraints from spectroscopic redshifts and emission line fluxes, we use the Prospector SED fitting code with a flexible dust model. We find that the attenuation curve slope varies strongly with Av at all redshifts, becoming flatter at higher attenuation. We find no strong correlation between attenuation curve slope and size or axis ratio, and the trends with stellar mass and star-formation rate are largely driven by their correlation with Av. We find strong evidence that at fixed Av, the curve becomes flatter with increasing redshift. On average, the attenuation curves derived here are shallower than those at z~0 and than the SMC curve. The highest redshift galaxies at z=7-9 (124 galaxies, a significantly larger sample than in previous studies) show slopes even flatter than the Calzetti curve, implying reduced UV obscuration and lower IR luminosities than expected from an SMC dust curve, by as large as an order of magnitude. Hydrodynamical simulations that couple dust growth to gas chemical enrichment successfully reproduce the different loci of high- and low-redshift galaxies in the slope-Av diagram, suggesting that dust in high-redshift galaxies is increasingly dominated by large grains produced in supernova ejecta with limited ISM processing at early times.

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Taking a Break at Cosmic Noon: Continuum-selected Low-mass Galaxies Require Long Burst Cycles

While bursty star formation in low-mass galaxies has been observed in local populations and reproduced in simulations, the dormant phase of the burst cycle has not been well studied beyond the local Universe due to observational limitations. We present a unique sample of 43 JWST PRISM spectra of low-mass galaxies ($M_\star < 10^{9.5}\,M_\odot$) at cosmic noon ($1<z<3$), uniformly selected on F200W magnitude and precise photometric redshifts enabled by 20-band JWST photometry from the UNCOVER and MegaScience surveys. The spectra reveal numerous strong Balmer breaks, which are negatively correlated with the galaxies' H$α$ equivalent width. By comparing these observations to synthetic samples of spectra generated using a simple parametrization of bursty star formation histories, we show that star formation in low-mass galaxies at cosmic noon is likely dominated by burst cycles with long timescales ($\gtrsim 100$ Myr) and large deviations below the star-forming main sequence ($\gtrsim 0.8$ dex). Our results suggest that galaxies in this population--at least those within our detection limits--should not be classified solely by their current star formation rates, but instead viewed as a unified population undergoing dynamic movement above and below the star-forming main sequence. The derived constraints demonstrate that long-timescale fluctuations are important for this class of galaxies, indicating that galaxy-scale gas cycles--rather than molecular-cloud-scale stochasticity--are the primary regulators of star formation variability in low-mass galaxies at cosmic noon.

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Everything Every Band All at Once II: The Relationship Between Optical Size and Stellar Mass Over Eight Billion Years of Cosmic History

While the size-mass relation provides insight into the structural evolution of galaxies, the data available and methods employed have hindered our ability to study a detailed and comprehensive description of this key relation across cosmic history. The first paper in this series presents a morphology catalog based on 20 band JWST data in the field of Abell 2744. In this paper we utilize this catalog to measure the size-mass relation from $0.5 10$, we discuss three distinct phases: Rapid growth at $z>5$, growth that mimics dark matter halos at $5< z <1$ and a late plateau at $0.5 1$. Our results imply that quiescent galaxies are smaller than their star-forming counterparts only at around $\log M_*/M_\odot = 10$; the two populations have similar sizes at lower and higher masses.

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Little Red Dots as Globular Clusters in Formation

Little Red Dots (LRDs), among the most enigmatic high-redshift discoveries by JWST, are commonly believed to be powered by accreting supermassive black holes. Here, we explore the possibility that these sources are globular clusters in formation, with rest-frame UV arising from a very young stellar population and rest-frame optical from a short-lived supermassive ($>10^4$ M$_\odot$) star. The spectral profiles of LRDs are broadly consistent with this scenario, though the observed temperatures and bolometric luminosities favor emission reprocessed by optically thick, continuum-driven winds not fully captured by current models. The LRD $z\sim5-7$ UV luminosity function naturally evolves, under standard evolutionary and mass-loss prescriptions, into a present-day mass function with a turnover at $\log_{10}(M_\ast$/$M_\odot)=5.3$ and an exponential cutoff at high masses, consistent with local globular-cluster populations. We estimate the total present-day number density of LRDs formed across all redshifts to be $\approx0.3$ Mpc$^{-3}$, similar to local globular clusters. The observed LRD redshift range matches the age distribution of metal-poor globular clusters, without current LRD counterparts to the metal-rich population. If LRDs are globular clusters in formation, we predict chemical abundance patterns characteristic of multiple stellar populations, including enhanced He and N, and potential Na-O and Al-Mg anti-correlations. These results offer a local perspective to explore this surprisingly abundant population of distant sources, and a potential new window into extreme stellar astrophysics in the early Universe.

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Evidence for Shallow Nebular Attenuation Curves and Patchy Dust Geometry at z~2 with Pa-beta/H-alpha Measurements from JWST-MegaScience Medium Band Photometry

We constrain the nebular attenuation curve and investigate dust geometry in star-forming galaxies at cosmic noon using photometric medium-band emission line measurements. We measure H-alpha emission line fluxes for a sample of 209 star-forming galaxies at 1.2<z<2.4 in MegaScience/UNCOVER with stellar masses spanning $7.85<\log_{10}(M_*/M_\odot)<11.0$. For 66 of these galaxies, we also measure a Pa-beta flux. We find that the Pa-beta/H-alpha line ratio increases strongly with stellar mass and star-formation rate (SFR) across our full mass range, indicating that more massive galaxies are dustier. We compare our results with a mass-, SFR-, and redshift-matched sample of galaxies from the MOSDEF survey with spectroscopic measurements of H-alpha/H-beta, finding that a shallow Reddy et al. (2025) nebular attenuation curve is more consistent with our observations than the typically assumed Cardelli et al. (1989) attenuation curve, especially for massive galaxies. This shallow attenuation curve could be explained by low dust covering fractions in star-forming regions. Through comparison to other studies, we show that assuming this shallower attenuation curve can increase the inferred A_Halpha,neb by up to 1 magnitude at high masses. We observe no trend between A_Halpha,neb and axis ratio, indicating that nebular attenuation is likely localized to small clumps. Altogether, our results strongly suggest that dust geometry is patchy and non-uniform, especially in massive galaxies. Our results highlight the ability of JWST medium bands to probe emission lines for large samples of galaxies, and statistically constrain dust properties in upcoming large programs.

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Water absorption confirms cool atmospheres in two little red dots

Little red dots (LRDs) are an abundant population of compact high-redshift sources with red rest-frame optical continua, discovered by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Their red colors and power sources have been attributed either to dust reddening of standard hot accretion disks or to intrinsically cool thermal emission from dense hydrogen envelopes, in both cases surrounding accreting supermassive black holes. These scenarios predict order-of-magnitude differences in emission temperature but have lacked decisive temperature diagnostics. Here we report a prominent absorption feature at rest-frame $\sim 1.4 \, μ\mathrm{m}$ in two out of four LRDs at $z \sim 2$ with high signal-to-noise JWST spectra, among the coolest from a large LRD sample. The feature matches the shape and wavelength of the water absorption band seen in cool stars. Atmosphere models require $T \lesssim 3000\, \mathrm{K}$ to reproduce it, confirming unambiguously the presence of a cool, dense gas component contributing $20-30\%$ to the emergent continuum. A composite model reproduces both the absorption and the rest-frame optical-to-infrared continuum shape and suggests a temperature range ($\sim2000\, \mathrm{K} - 4000 \, \mathrm{K}$) rather than a single blackbody predicted by some gas envelope models. Molecular absorption demonstrates that the red continua of some LRDs are intrinsic rather than dust-reddened, implying order-of-magnitude lower bolometric luminosities and black-hole masses, and providing a new diagnostic of the emitting gas.

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GLIMPSE-DDT spectroscopic properties of faint-end galaxies at $z\sim6$: Towards first metal enrichment, dust production, and ionizing photon production

Ultra-faint galaxies at high-$z$ are fundamental elements of the early galaxy assembly, and spectroscopic characterization of this population is essential to understand the earliest galaxy evolution. Leveraging the ultra-deep JWST/NIRCam and NIRSpec observations of a gravitational lensing field of Abell S1063, taken as part of the GLIMPSE survey, we present spectroscopic properties of 16 galaxies fainter than $M_{\rm UV}=-17$ mag, including the metallicity, dust attenuation, and the ionizing photon production efficiency. The emission lines are generally quite strong, roughly half of which cannot be replicated with standard stellar populations and require an extreme ionizing source. We also identify relatively strong [OIII] emission lines from all sample galaxies, which indicates that the low-mass end of the mass-metallicity relation is extended down to $M_\star\sim10^6\ M_\odot$ at $z\sim6$. The strong [OIII] line detection from the lowest-mass galaxy among the sample ($M_\star\sim10^{5.6}\ M_\odot$) stands in contrast to recent reports of extremely metal-poor galaxy candidates at similar mass and redshift, suggesting that there could be two distinct pathways of the earliest metal enrichment as simulations have predicted. Interestingly, we detect both dust attenuation and galactic outflow in one of the sample galaxies with $M_\star=10^{6.6}\ M_\odot$ at $z=5.5$. All the dust, metal, and outflow contents in this galaxy can be consistently explained by supernovae (SNe), indicative of the key roles of SNe in the earliest galaxy assembly such as dust production, metal enrichment, stellar feedback, and baryon cycle.

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UNCOVER/MegaScience Finds Uniform and Highly Bursty Star Formation at 3 < z < 9, consistent with the High-Redshift UV Luminosity Function

Star formation timescales are key to understanding fundamental physics like feedback mechanisms, as well as the abundance of bright galaxies at $z>10$. We investigate galaxy star formation histories (SFHs) and their evolution across $z\sim3$--9 by measuring the line-to-UV ratio (\rline) and line equivalent width (EW) of \hanii\ and \oiiihb\ directly from UNCOVER/MegaScience spectro-photometry without relying on a specific SFH or nebular line modeling. Our photometric measurements recover \rline\ and EW to $<10\%$ systematic accuracy compared to spectroscopy. This allows us to construct a large mass- (and flux-) complete sample and quantitatively examine how \rline\ evolves with redshift and stellar mass. We find that the intrinsic scatter in \rline\ does not significantly evolve with redshift across $3 10$. This suggests that no significant evolution in star formation burstiness is required to explain the abundance of UV-bright galaxies at high redshift.

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A spectroscopically confirmed, strongly lensed, metal-poor Type II supernova at z = 5.13

Observing supernovae (SNe) in the early Universe (z > 3) provides a window into how both galaxies and individual stars have evolved over cosmic time, yet a detailed study of high-redshift stars and SNe has remained difficult due to their extreme distances and cosmological redshifting. To overcome the former, searches for gravitationally lensed sources allow for the discovery of magnified SNe that appear as multiple images - further providing the opportunity for efficient follow-up. Here we present the discovery of "SN Eos": a strongly lensed, multiply-imaged, SN II at a spectroscopic redshift of z = 5.133 +/- 0.001. SN Eos exploded in a Lyman-α emitting galaxy when the Universe was only ~1 billion years old, shortly after it reionized and became transparent to ultraviolet radiation. A year prior to our discovery in JWST data, archival HST imaging of SN Eos reveals rest-frame far ultraviolet (~1,300Å) emission, indicative of shock breakout or interaction with circumstellar material in the first few (rest-frame) days after explosion. The JWST spectroscopy of SN Eos, now the farthest spectroscopically confirmed SN ever discovered, shows that SN Eos's progenitor star likely formed in a metal-poor environment (<= 0.1 Z_{\odot}), providing the first direct evidence of massive star formation in the metal-poor, early Universe. SN Eos would not have been detectable without the extreme lensing magnification of the system, highlighting the potential of such discoveries to eventually place constraints on the faint end of the cosmic star-formation rate density in the very early Universe.

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Caught in Swallowtails: Discovery of Two Swallowtail Image Formations in MS 0451.6-0305

We report the discovery of two swallowtail image formations at $z=2.91$ and $z=6.70$ behind the galaxy cluster MS 0451.6-0305 in JWST-NIRCam imaging. We find that in both of the above lensed systems, the complex image morphology cannot be reproduced by simple fold/cusp caustics, and detailed lens modeling reveals higher-order swallowtail caustic configurations. In the $z=2.91$ lens system, a small part of the source galaxy (which itself is part of a galaxy group) containing atleast two compact knots sits inside the swallowtail caustic, producing a quadruply imaged arc. At two of the image positions of these knots, we infer point source magnifications of $\gtrsim 300$, implying lensing-corrected effective radii of $\lesssim 0.8-1.5$ pc. The $z=6.70$ system exhibits even more complex image formation. We therefore only use the most confidently identified counter-images of knots in this system as constraints in our lens modeling. The resulting model predicts magnifications $\sim20-200$ and lensing-corrected effective radii of $\lesssim 0.8-18.5$ pc for various knots. Together, these two systems represent the first example of observations of multiple swallowtail image formations in a single galaxy cluster and demonstrate the ability of swallowtail caustics to magnify individual substructures at sub-parsec scales, from intermediate redshifts to the first billion years of the Universe.

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