<i>JWST</i> s PEARLS: NIRCam imaging and NIRISS spectroscopy of a <i>z</i> = 3.6 star-forming galaxy lensed into a near-Einstein ring by a <i>z</i> = 1.258 massive elliptical galaxy

ABSTRACT We present the discovery, and initial lensing analysis, of a high-redshift galaxy–galaxy lensing system within the JWST-PEARLS/HST–TREASUREHUNT North Ecliptic Pole Time Domain Field (designated NEPJ172238.9+655143.1). The lensing geometry shears a $z=3.6\pm 0.1$ star-forming galaxy into a near-Einstein ring with a radius of 0.92 arcsec, consisting of 4 images, around a foreground massive elliptical galaxy at $z=1.258\pm 0.005$. The system is fortuitously located within the NIRISS F200W footprint of the PEARLS survey, enabling spectroscopic identification of the 8500 Å TiO band in the foreground galaxy and allowing tight constraints to be placed on the redshift of the background galaxy based on its continuum detection and lack of strong emission lines. We calculate magnification factors of $2.6&amp;lt;\mu &amp;lt; 8.4$ for the four images and a total lensing mass of $(4.08 \pm 0.07)\times 10^{11}\,\mathrm{ M}_\odot$. SED fitting of the foreground elliptical galaxy within the Einstein radius reveals a stellar mass of $1.26\times 10^{11}\,\mathrm{ M}_\odot$ under a Kroupa IMF, providing 31 per cent of the estimated lensing mass. Employing simple scaling relations and assumptions, an NFW dark matter halo is found to provide the correct remaining mass within $0.12^{+0.21}_{-0.09}$ dex. However, if a modified IMF for elliptical galaxies is employed (e.g. bottom-heavy or bottom-and-top-heavy), stellar mass estimations increase and can account for the majority of the lensing mass, reducing the need for dark matter. This system further demonstrates the new discovery space that the combined wavelength coverage, sensitivity and resolution of James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) now enables.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Published
2025-10-16
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/staf1518
Citations
1
Primary Topic
Astronomy and Astrophysical Research
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
1.19

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

JWST s PEARLS: NIRCam imaging and NIRISS spectroscopy of a z = 3.6 star-forming galaxy lensed into a near-Einstein ring by a z = 1.258 massive elliptical galaxy

Jake Summers, Massimo Ricotti, J. Stuart B. Wyithe, Vadim Rusakov et al.
1 citations
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Astronomy and Astrophysical Research
1.19
article

JWST s PEARLS: NIRCam imaging and NIRISS spectroscopy of a z = 3.6 star-forming galaxy lensed into a near-Einstein ring by a z = 1.258 massive elliptical galaxy

Jake Summers, Massimo Ricotti, J. Stuart B. Wyithe, Vadim Rusakov, Payaswini Saikia, Rogier A. Windhorst, Rolf A. Jansen, Tom Broadhurst, Norman A. Grogin, W. Peter Maksym, Nimish P. Hathi, Patrick S. Kamieneski, Nathan Adams, Russell E. Ryan, Madeline A. Marshall, Thomas Harvey, Christopher J. Conselice, Seth H. Cohen, Anton M. Koekemoer, Dan Coe, Vicente Estrada-Carpenter, Joseph D. Gelfand, Simon P. Driver, Benne W. Holwerda, Haojing Yan, Brenda Frye, Giovanni Ferrami, Nor Pirzkal, Duncan Austin, Christopher N. A. Willmer, Lewi Westcott, Qiong Li, Richard L. O’Brien, Caio Goolsby
article en
1 citations

Abstract

ABSTRACT We present the discovery, and initial lensing analysis, of a high-redshift galaxy–galaxy lensing system within the JWST-PEARLS/HST–TREASUREHUNT North Ecliptic Pole Time Domain Field (designated NEPJ172238.9+655143.1). The lensing geometry shears a $z=3.6\pm 0.1$ star-forming galaxy into a near-Einstein ring with a radius of 0.92 arcsec, consisting of 4 images, around a foreground massive elliptical galaxy at $z=1.258\pm 0.005$. The system is fortuitously located within the NIRISS F200W footprint of the PEARLS survey, enabling spectroscopic identification of the 8500 Å TiO band in the foreground galaxy and allowing tight constraints to be placed on the redshift of the background galaxy based on its continuum detection and lack of strong emission lines. We calculate magnification factors of $2.6&amp;lt;\mu &amp;lt; 8.4$ for the four images and a total lensing mass of $(4.08 \pm 0.07)\times 10^{11}\,\mathrm{ M}_\odot$. SED fitting of the foreground elliptical galaxy within the Einstein radius reveals a stellar mass of $1.26\times 10^{11}\,\mathrm{ M}_\odot$ under a Kroupa IMF, providing 31 per cent of the estimated lensing mass. Employing simple scaling relations and assumptions, an NFW dark matter halo is found to provide the correct remaining mass within $0.12^{+0.21}_{-0.09}$ dex. However, if a modified IMF for elliptical galaxies is employed (e.g. bottom-heavy or bottom-and-top-heavy), stellar mass estimations increase and can account for the majority of the lensing mass, reducing the need for dark matter. This system further demonstrates the new discovery space that the combined wavelength coverage, sensitivity and resolution of James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) now enables.

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical SocietyVol. 543(4)
Ikerbasque (ES), Australian National University (AU), New York University Abu Dhabi (AE), Marshall Space Flight Center (US), Space Telescope Science Institute (US), Los Alamos National Laboratory (US), University of Arizona (US), University of Louisville (US), Johns Hopkins University (US), The University of Melbourne (AU), University of the Basque Country (ES), The University of Western Australia (AU), University of Manchester (GB), Kentucky Science Center (US), Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté (FR), ARC Centre of Excellence for All-sky Astrophysics (AU), International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (AU), Donostia International Physics Center (ES), Arizona State University (US), University of Baltimore (US), University of Maryland, College Park (US), University of Missouri (US)
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Space Telescope Science Institute, Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, Goddard Space Flight Center, Science and Technology Facilities Council
Openalex Percentile: Top 16%
Astronomy and Astrophysical Research
1.19
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.