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Main Authors: Koehler, Sonja M., Jiao, Hao, Kannan, Rahul
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2412.00182
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author Koehler, Sonja M.
Jiao, Hao
Kannan, Rahul
author_facet Koehler, Sonja M.
Jiao, Hao
Kannan, Rahul
contents Recent observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have uncovered an unexpectedly large abundance of massive, UV-bright galaxies at high redshifts, presenting a significant challenge to established galaxy formation models within the standard $Λ$CDM cosmological framework. Cosmic strings, predicted by a wide range of particle physics theories beyond the Standard Model, provide a promising potential explanation for these observations. They may act as additional gravitational seeds in the early universe, enhancing the process of high-redshift structure formation, potentially resulting in a more substantial population of massive, efficiently star-forming galaxies. We numerically investigate this prediction in large-volume hydrodynamical simulations using the moving-mesh code AREPO and the well-tested IllustrisTNG galaxy formation model. We evaluate the simulation results in the context of recent JWST data and find that sufficiently energetic cosmic strings produce UV luminosity and stellar mass functions that are in slightly to substantially better agreement with observations at high redshifts. Moreover, we observe that the halos seeded by cosmic strings exhibit a greater efficiency of star formation and enhanced central concentrations. Interestingly, our findings indicate that the simulations incorporating cosmic strings converge with those from a baseline $Λ$CDM model by redshift $z \sim 6$. This convergence suggests that the modified cosmological framework effectively replicates the successful predictions of the standard $Λ$CDM model at lower redshifts, where observational constraints are significantly stronger. Our results provide compelling evidence that cosmic strings may play a crucial role in explaining the galaxy properties observed by JWST at high redshifts while maintaining consistency with well-established models at later epochs.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2412_00182
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Investigating cosmic strings using large-volume hydrodynamical simulations in the context of JWST's massive UV-bright galaxies
Koehler, Sonja M.
Jiao, Hao
Kannan, Rahul
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
Astrophysics of Galaxies
Recent observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have uncovered an unexpectedly large abundance of massive, UV-bright galaxies at high redshifts, presenting a significant challenge to established galaxy formation models within the standard $Λ$CDM cosmological framework. Cosmic strings, predicted by a wide range of particle physics theories beyond the Standard Model, provide a promising potential explanation for these observations. They may act as additional gravitational seeds in the early universe, enhancing the process of high-redshift structure formation, potentially resulting in a more substantial population of massive, efficiently star-forming galaxies. We numerically investigate this prediction in large-volume hydrodynamical simulations using the moving-mesh code AREPO and the well-tested IllustrisTNG galaxy formation model. We evaluate the simulation results in the context of recent JWST data and find that sufficiently energetic cosmic strings produce UV luminosity and stellar mass functions that are in slightly to substantially better agreement with observations at high redshifts. Moreover, we observe that the halos seeded by cosmic strings exhibit a greater efficiency of star formation and enhanced central concentrations. Interestingly, our findings indicate that the simulations incorporating cosmic strings converge with those from a baseline $Λ$CDM model by redshift $z \sim 6$. This convergence suggests that the modified cosmological framework effectively replicates the successful predictions of the standard $Λ$CDM model at lower redshifts, where observational constraints are significantly stronger. Our results provide compelling evidence that cosmic strings may play a crucial role in explaining the galaxy properties observed by JWST at high redshifts while maintaining consistency with well-established models at later epochs.
title Investigating cosmic strings using large-volume hydrodynamical simulations in the context of JWST's massive UV-bright galaxies
topic Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
Astrophysics of Galaxies
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2412.00182