Mock JWST Colors of Two Different Star Formation Histories at z ~ 4

Abstract In this work, we test if JWST NIRCam filters can distinguish between two different galaxy star formation histories (SFHs) at z = 3–4. We use the Code Investigating GALaxy Emission to model F150W, F277W, and F770W-band magnitudes for mock massive galaxies at 3.5 < z < 4.5 generating two different SFHs: (1) a delayed- τ , analogous to a starburst-like galaxy with a mostly uniform stellar population, and (2) a decayed exponential with a late burst to represent a more even mixture of old and young stellar populations. We explored the F277W − F770W versus F150W − F277W color space, and determined that the delayed- τ SFH produces highly clustered, relatively “flat” colors in both planes; whereas the other SFH produces more diversity across this color space. This work motivates further studies on the potential for JWST colors to rapidly identify varying evolutionary pathways for galaxies at z = 3–4.