MIDIS

Context. Thanks to decades of observations using the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), the structure of galaxies at redshift z >2 has been widely studied in the rest-frame ultraviolet regime, which traces recent star formation from young stellar populations. However, we still have little information about the spatial distribution of the older, more evolved stellar populations, constrained by the rest-frame infrared portion of the galaxies’ spectral energy distribution. Aims. We present the morphological characterization of a sample of 49 massive galaxies (log( M ⋆ / M ⊙ )>9) at redshift 3< z <5. These galaxies are observed as part of the MIRI Deep Imaging Survey (MIDIS), the guaranteed time observations program with the MIRI instrument on board the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Deep MIRI 5.6 μm imaging (28.64 mag 5 σ depth) allows us to characterize the rest-frame near-infrared structure of galaxies beyond cosmic noon, at higher redshifts than possible with NIRCam, tracing their older and dust-insensitive stellar populations. Methods. We derived the nonparametric morphology of galaxies, focusing on the Gini, M 20 , concentration, asymmetry, and deviation statistics. Furthermore, we modeled the light distribution of galaxies with a single Sérsic component and derived their parametric morphology (i.e., effective radius and Sérsic index). Results. We find that at z >3 massive galaxies show a smooth distribution of their rest-infrared light, strongly supporting the increasing number of regular disk galaxies already in place at early epochs. These results are further reinforced by the analysis of JWST/NIRCam data at 4.4 μm. On the contrary, the ultraviolet structure obtained from HST/WFC3 and JWST/NIRCam observations at ∼1.5 μm is generally more irregular, catching the most recent episodes of star formation. Importantly, we find a segregation of morphologies across cosmic time, where galaxies at redshift z >3.75 show later-type morphologies compared to z ∼3 galaxies. These findings suggest a transition phase in galaxy assembly and central mass build-up, which takes place already at z ∼3−4. Conclusions. The combined analysis of NIRCam and MIRI imaging datasets allows us to prove that the rest-frame near-infrared morphology of massive galaxies at cosmic noon is typical of compact disk galaxies with a smooth mass distribution.

Authors

Publication Details

Journal
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Published
2025-06-17
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202451330
Citations
7
Primary Topic
Astronomy and Astrophysical Research
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
8.34

Funders

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article

MIDIS

D. Dicken, K. I. Caputi, Fabian Walter, T. R. Greve et al.
7 citations
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy and Astrophysical Research
8.34
article

MIDIS

D. Dicken, K. I. Caputi, Fabian Walter, T. R. Greve, I. Jermann, Alvaro Labiano, Luca Costantin, L. Colina, M. J. Ward, A. Eckart, Pablo G. Pérez‐González, Arjan Bik, O. Ilbert, D. Langeroodi, Alejandro Crespo Gómez, Marianna Annunziatella, Leindert Boogaard, J. Melinder, Pierluigi Rinaldi, J. P. Pye, T. Tikkanen, Javier Álvarez-Márquez, E. Iani, J. Hjorth, G.M. Wright, Steven Gillman, Florian Peißker, Th. Henning, A. Alonso-Herrero, M. Güdel, G. Östlin, P. van der Werf
article en
7 citations

Abstract

Context. Thanks to decades of observations using the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), the structure of galaxies at redshift z >2 has been widely studied in the rest-frame ultraviolet regime, which traces recent star formation from young stellar populations. However, we still have little information about the spatial distribution of the older, more evolved stellar populations, constrained by the rest-frame infrared portion of the galaxies’ spectral energy distribution. Aims. We present the morphological characterization of a sample of 49 massive galaxies (log( M ⋆ / M ⊙ )>9) at redshift 3< z <5. These galaxies are observed as part of the MIRI Deep Imaging Survey (MIDIS), the guaranteed time observations program with the MIRI instrument on board the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Deep MIRI 5.6 μm imaging (28.64 mag 5 σ depth) allows us to characterize the rest-frame near-infrared structure of galaxies beyond cosmic noon, at higher redshifts than possible with NIRCam, tracing their older and dust-insensitive stellar populations. Methods. We derived the nonparametric morphology of galaxies, focusing on the Gini, M 20 , concentration, asymmetry, and deviation statistics. Furthermore, we modeled the light distribution of galaxies with a single Sérsic component and derived their parametric morphology (i.e., effective radius and Sérsic index). Results. We find that at z >3 massive galaxies show a smooth distribution of their rest-infrared light, strongly supporting the increasing number of regular disk galaxies already in place at early epochs. These results are further reinforced by the analysis of JWST/NIRCam data at 4.4 μm. On the contrary, the ultraviolet structure obtained from HST/WFC3 and JWST/NIRCam observations at ∼1.5 μm is generally more irregular, catching the most recent episodes of star formation. Importantly, we find a segregation of morphologies across cosmic time, where galaxies at redshift z >3.75 show later-type morphologies compared to z ∼3 galaxies. These findings suggest a transition phase in galaxy assembly and central mass build-up, which takes place already at z ∼3−4. Conclusions. The combined analysis of NIRCam and MIRI imaging datasets allows us to prove that the rest-frame near-infrared morphology of massive galaxies at cosmic noon is typical of compact disk galaxies with a smooth mass distribution.

Astronomy and AstrophysicsVol. 699
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Northrop Grumman, Utah State University, California Institute of Technology, Villum Fonden, “la Caixa” Foundation, Space Telescope Science Institute, European Space Agency, University of Leicester, University College London, Cardiff University, National Research Foundation, Enterprise Ireland, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, Universiteit Leiden, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, Danmarks Grundforskningsfond, Universiteit van Amsterdam, Swedish National Space Agency, Belgian Federal Science Policy Office, Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales, Chalmers Tekniska Högskola, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, Paul Scherrer Institut, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Universität zu Köln, Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial, Nederlandse Onderzoekschool Voor Astronomie, Fundación Bancaria Caixa d'Estalvis i Pensions de Barcelona, Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie, Ames Research Center, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Goddard Space Flight Center, Science and Technology Facilities Council, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, European Regional Development Fund, Agencia Estatal de Investigación
Openalex Percentile: Top 3%
Astronomy and Astrophysical Research
8.34
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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