JWST/NIRSpec Observations of Ly$α$ Emission in Star Forming Galaxies at $6.5\lesssim z\lesssim13$
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2024
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| _version_ | 1866913503075368960 |
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| author | Tang, Mengtao Stark, Daniel P. Topping, Michael W. Mason, Charlotte Ellis, Richard S. |
| author_facet | Tang, Mengtao Stark, Daniel P. Topping, Michael W. Mason, Charlotte Ellis, Richard S. |
| contents | We present an analysis of JWST Ly$α$ spectroscopy of $z\gtrsim6.5$ galaxies, using observations in the public archive covering galaxies in four independent fields (GOODS-N, GOODS-S, Abell 2744, EGS). We measure Ly$α$ emission line properties for a sample of $210$ $z\simeq6.5-13$ galaxies, with redshifts confirmed independently of Ly$α$ in all cases. We present $3$ new detections of Ly$α$ emission in JWST spectra, including a large equivalent width (EW $=143\ Å$) Ly$α$ emitter with strong CIV emission (EW $=21\ Å$) at $z=7.1$ in GOODS-N. We measure the redshift-dependent Ly$α$ EW distribution across our sample. We find that strong Ly$α$ emission (EW $>25\ Å$) becomes increasingly rare at earlier epochs, suggesting that the transmission of Ly$α$ photons decreases by $4\times$ between $z\simeq5$ and $z\simeq9$. We describe potential implications for the IGM neutral fraction. There is significant field to field variance in the Ly$α$ emitter fraction. In contrast to the three other fields, the EGS shows no evidence for reduced transmission of Ly$α$ photons at $z\simeq7-8$, suggesting a significantly ionized sightline may be present in the field. We use available NIRCam grism observations from the FRESCO survey to characterize overdensities on large scales around known Ly$α$ emitters in the GOODS fields. The strongest overdensities appear linked with extremely strong Ly$α$ detections (EW $>50\ Å$) in most cases. Future Ly$α$ spectroscopy with JWST has the potential to constrain the size of ionized regions around early galaxy overdensities, providing a new probe of the reionization process. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2408_01507 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | JWST/NIRSpec Observations of Ly$α$ Emission in Star Forming Galaxies at $6.5\lesssim z\lesssim13$ Tang, Mengtao Stark, Daniel P. Topping, Michael W. Mason, Charlotte Ellis, Richard S. Astrophysics of Galaxies We present an analysis of JWST Ly$α$ spectroscopy of $z\gtrsim6.5$ galaxies, using observations in the public archive covering galaxies in four independent fields (GOODS-N, GOODS-S, Abell 2744, EGS). We measure Ly$α$ emission line properties for a sample of $210$ $z\simeq6.5-13$ galaxies, with redshifts confirmed independently of Ly$α$ in all cases. We present $3$ new detections of Ly$α$ emission in JWST spectra, including a large equivalent width (EW $=143\ Å$) Ly$α$ emitter with strong CIV emission (EW $=21\ Å$) at $z=7.1$ in GOODS-N. We measure the redshift-dependent Ly$α$ EW distribution across our sample. We find that strong Ly$α$ emission (EW $>25\ Å$) becomes increasingly rare at earlier epochs, suggesting that the transmission of Ly$α$ photons decreases by $4\times$ between $z\simeq5$ and $z\simeq9$. We describe potential implications for the IGM neutral fraction. There is significant field to field variance in the Ly$α$ emitter fraction. In contrast to the three other fields, the EGS shows no evidence for reduced transmission of Ly$α$ photons at $z\simeq7-8$, suggesting a significantly ionized sightline may be present in the field. We use available NIRCam grism observations from the FRESCO survey to characterize overdensities on large scales around known Ly$α$ emitters in the GOODS fields. The strongest overdensities appear linked with extremely strong Ly$α$ detections (EW $>50\ Å$) in most cases. Future Ly$α$ spectroscopy with JWST has the potential to constrain the size of ionized regions around early galaxy overdensities, providing a new probe of the reionization process. |
| title | JWST/NIRSpec Observations of Ly$α$ Emission in Star Forming Galaxies at $6.5\lesssim z\lesssim13$ |
| topic | Astrophysics of Galaxies |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2408.01507 |