A Systematic Search for Galaxies with Extended Emission Lines and Potential Outflows in JADES Medium-band Images
Abstract For the first time, we present a systematic search for galaxies with extended emission lines and potential outflow features using JWST medium-band images in the GOODS South field. This is done by comparing the morphology in medium-band images to adjacent continuum and UV bands. We look for galaxies that have a maximum extent 50% larger, an excess area 30% greater, or an axis ratio difference of more than 0.3 in the medium band compared to the reference bands. After visual inspection, we find 326 candidate galaxies at 1.4 < z < 8.4, with a peak in the population near cosmic noon, benefiting from the good coverage of the medium-band filters. By fitting their spectral energy distributions, we find that the candidate galaxies are at least 20% more bursty in their star-forming activity and have 50% more young stellar populations compared to a control sample selected based on the continuum band flux. Additionally, these candidates exhibit a significantly higher production rate of ionizing photons. We further find that candidates hosting known active galactic nuclei (AGN) produce extended emission that is more anisotropic compared to non-AGN candidates. A few of our candidates have been spectroscopically confirmed to have prominent outflow signatures through NIRSpec observations, showcasing the robustness of the photometric selection. Future spectroscopic follow-up will better help verify and characterize the kinematics and chemical properties of these systems.
Authors
- Zhiyuan Ji (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7673-2257)
- George H. Rieke (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2303-6519)
- Jakob M. Helton (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4337-6211)
- Fengwu Sun (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4622-6617)
- Stefano Carniani (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6719-380X)
- Kevin Hainline (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4565-8239)
- Rachana Bhatawdekar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0883-2226)
- Gareth C. Jones (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0267-9024)
- Charlotte Simmonds (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4770-7516)
- Jianwei Lyu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6221-1829)
- Christina C. Williams (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2919-7495)
- Yongda Zhu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3307-7525)
- Pierluigi Rinaldi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5104-8245)
- Hannah Übler (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4891-0794)
- Stacey Alberts (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8909-8782)
- Yang Sun (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6561-9443)
- Jan Scholtz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6010-6809)
- Christopher N. A. Willmer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9262-9997)
- Andrew J. Bunker (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8651-9879)
- Phillip A. Cargile (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1617-8917)
- Brant E. Robertson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4271-0364)
- Marcia Rieke (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7893-6170)
- Anna de Graaff (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2380-9801)
Institutions
- University of Arizona (US)
- Scuola Normale Superiore (IT)
- University of California, Santa Cruz (US)
- University of Cambridge (GB)
- University of Oxford (GB)
- European Space Astronomy Centre (ES)
- Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (DE)
- Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian (US)
- NSF NOIRLab (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- The Astrophysical Journal
- Published
- 2025-06-16
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/add2f4
- Citations
- 8
- Primary Topic
- Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 9.24
Funders
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration