JADES: carbon-enhanced, nitrogen-normal compact galaxy at z = 11.2

ABSTRACT Over the past few years James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has been a major workhorse in detecting and constraining the metal enrichment of the first galaxies in the early Universe and finding the source of the ionization of their interstellar medium. In this work, we present new deep JWST/NIRSpec spectroscopy of GS-z11-1, a galaxy at z = 11.28, in which we report the detection of multiple rest-frame UV and optical emission lines: CIII]$\lambda \lambda$1907,09, CIV]$\lambda \lambda$1548,51, [OII]$\lambda \lambda$3726,29, [NeIII]$\lambda$3869, H$\gamma$ and tentative evidence for HeII$\lambda$1640. The ionization properties of GS-z11-1 are consistent with star formation, with potential contribution from an active galactic nucleus (AGN). We estimate a galaxy stellar mass of log($\rm{M_{\star }}$/M$_{\odot }$) = 7.8$\, \pm\, $0.2 and log(SFR/(M$_{\odot }$ yr$^{-1}$)) = 0.32$\, \pm \,$0.11 for the fiducial SF-only models. We measured C/O from the SED modelling of C/O = 1.20$\pm 0.15 \times$ solar. This is one of the highest C/O abundances at z $\, > \, $ 10, and it is consistent with either PopII and PopIII enrichment paths. Despite this source being extremely compact, with a half-light radius of 73 $\, \pm \,$ 10 pc, we see no increased equivalent width of NIV] and NIII] emission lines as seen in some other compact sources at similar redshifts, a potential signature of second-generation stars in GCs. Overall, this galaxy exhibits low metallicity and high ionization parameter consistent with intense star-formation or AGN activity in the early Universe, possibly observed before the enrichment by the second generation of stars in proto-globular clusters in the core of the galaxy.

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Publication Details

Journal
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Published
2025-11-26
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/staf2107
Citations
2
Primary Topic
Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
2.31

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article

JADES: carbon-enhanced, nitrogen-normal compact galaxy at z = 11.2

Francesco D’Eugenio, Joris Witstok, Santiago Arribas, R. Maiolino et al.
2 citations
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena
2.31
article

JADES: carbon-enhanced, nitrogen-normal compact galaxy at z = 11.2

Francesco D’Eugenio, Joris Witstok, Santiago Arribas, R. Maiolino, Stefano Carniani, Kevin Hainline, Jacopo Chevallard, Sandro Tacchella, Chris J. Willott, Rachana Bhatawdekar, Gareth C. Jones, Pablo G. Pérez‐González, Xihan Ji, S. Charlot, Mirko Curti, Christina C. Williams, Pierluigi Rinaldi, Daniel J. Eisenstein, Hannah Übler, A. J. Bunker, Maddie S. Silcock, P. Jakobsen, Jan Scholtz, Emma Curtis-Lake, William Baker, Brant E. Robertson, Yuki Isobe, Eleonora Parlanti
article en
2 citations

Abstract

ABSTRACT Over the past few years James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has been a major workhorse in detecting and constraining the metal enrichment of the first galaxies in the early Universe and finding the source of the ionization of their interstellar medium. In this work, we present new deep JWST/NIRSpec spectroscopy of GS-z11-1, a galaxy at z = 11.28, in which we report the detection of multiple rest-frame UV and optical emission lines: CIII]$\lambda \lambda$1907,09, CIV]$\lambda \lambda$1548,51, [OII]$\lambda \lambda$3726,29, [NeIII]$\lambda$3869, H$\gamma$ and tentative evidence for HeII$\lambda$1640. The ionization properties of GS-z11-1 are consistent with star formation, with potential contribution from an active galactic nucleus (AGN). We estimate a galaxy stellar mass of log($\rm{M_{\star }}$/M$_{\odot }$) = 7.8$\, \pm\, $0.2 and log(SFR/(M$_{\odot }$ yr$^{-1}$)) = 0.32$\, \pm \,$0.11 for the fiducial SF-only models. We measured C/O from the SED modelling of C/O = 1.20$\pm 0.15 \times$ solar. This is one of the highest C/O abundances at z $\, > \, $ 10, and it is consistent with either PopII and PopIII enrichment paths. Despite this source being extremely compact, with a half-light radius of 73 $\, \pm \,$ 10 pc, we see no increased equivalent width of NIV] and NIII] emission lines as seen in some other compact sources at similar redshifts, a potential signature of second-generation stars in GCs. Overall, this galaxy exhibits low metallicity and high ionization parameter consistent with intense star-formation or AGN activity in the early Universe, possibly observed before the enrichment by the second generation of stars in proto-globular clusters in the core of the galaxy.

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical SocietyVol. 545(3)
Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics (CA), University of Copenhagen (DK), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), European Southern Observatory (DE), University of Arizona (US), University of Hertfordshire (GB), Waseda University (JP), Scuola Normale Superiore (IT), University of California, Santa Cruz (US), University of Cambridge (GB), Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris (FR), European Space Agency (FR), Sorbonne Université (FR), University of Oxford (GB), Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (DE), European Space Astronomy Centre (ES), DAWN Center for Independent Living (US), Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian (US), Centro de Astrobiología (ES), NSF NOIRLab (US), University College London (GB)
National Science Foundation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, University of California, Santa Cruz, University of Arizona, Villum Fonden, Space Telescope Science Institute, UK Research and Innovation, European Commission, National Research Foundation, Danmarks Grundforskningsfond, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Science and Technology Facilities Council, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Agencia Estatal de Investigación
Openalex Percentile: Top 10%
Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena
2.31
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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