Early Results from GLASS-JWST. XXV. Electron Density in the Interstellar Medium at $0.7\lesssim z\lesssim 9.3$ with NIRSpec High-resolution Spectroscopy

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Main Authors: Li, Sijia, Wang, Xin, Chen, Yuguang, Jones, Tucker, Treu, Tommaso, Glazebrook, Karl, He, Xianlong, Henry, Alaina, Meng, Xiao-Lei, Morishita, Takahiro, Roberts-Borsani, Guido, Yang, Lilan, Yu, Hao-Ran, Calabrò, Antonello, Castellano, Marco, Leethochawalit, Nicha, Metha, Benjamin, Nanayakkara, Themiya, Roy, Namrata, Vulcani, Benedetta
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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author Li, Sijia
Wang, Xin
Chen, Yuguang
Jones, Tucker
Treu, Tommaso
Glazebrook, Karl
He, Xianlong
Henry, Alaina
Meng, Xiao-Lei
Morishita, Takahiro
Roberts-Borsani, Guido
Yang, Lilan
Yu, Hao-Ran
Calabrò, Antonello
Castellano, Marco
Leethochawalit, Nicha
Metha, Benjamin
Nanayakkara, Themiya
Roy, Namrata
Vulcani, Benedetta
author_facet Li, Sijia
Wang, Xin
Chen, Yuguang
Jones, Tucker
Treu, Tommaso
Glazebrook, Karl
He, Xianlong
Henry, Alaina
Meng, Xiao-Lei
Morishita, Takahiro
Roberts-Borsani, Guido
Yang, Lilan
Yu, Hao-Ran
Calabrò, Antonello
Castellano, Marco
Leethochawalit, Nicha
Metha, Benjamin
Nanayakkara, Themiya
Roy, Namrata
Vulcani, Benedetta
contents The electron density (${n_{\rm e}}$) of the interstellar medium (ISM) in star-forming galaxies is intimately linked to star formation and ionization condition. Using the high-resolution spectra obtained from the JWST NIRSpec micro shutter assembly (MSA) as part of the GLASS-JWST program, we have assembled the largest sample to date (34 galaxies) with individual ${n_{\rm e}}$ measurements derived from the [OII] $λλ$3726,29 and/or [SII] $λλ$6718,32 doublets at $0.7\lesssim z\lesssim 9.3$. The gravitational lensing magnification by the foreground Abell~2744 cluster allows us to probe ${n_{\rm e}}$ in galaxies with stellar masses ($M_{*}$) down to $\simeq 10^{7.5} M_\odot$ across the entire redshift range. Our analysis reveals that the [OII] flux ratios are marginally anti-correlated with specific star formation rate (sSFR) within a 1-$σ$ confidence interval, whereas the [SII] flux ratios show no significant correlation with sSFR. Despite clear correlation between sSFR and redshift within our sample, we find no apparent redshift evolution of ${n_{\rm e}}$ at $z \simeq 1-9$. Our dataset also includes 13 galaxies where ${n_{\rm e}}$ can be measured from both [OII] and [SII]. Contrary to findings at lower redshifts, we observe considerable scatter in ${n_{\rm e}}$ measurements from [OII] and [SII], indicating a complex gaseous environment with significant variations in ${n_{\rm e}}$ in high-redshift galaxies. This work highlights the unique capability of JWST NIRSpec/MSA high-resolution spectroscopy to characterize the detailed physical properties of the ISM in individual high-redshift galaxies.
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publishDate 2024
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spellingShingle Early Results from GLASS-JWST. XXV. Electron Density in the Interstellar Medium at $0.7\lesssim z\lesssim 9.3$ with NIRSpec High-resolution Spectroscopy
Li, Sijia
Wang, Xin
Chen, Yuguang
Jones, Tucker
Treu, Tommaso
Glazebrook, Karl
He, Xianlong
Henry, Alaina
Meng, Xiao-Lei
Morishita, Takahiro
Roberts-Borsani, Guido
Yang, Lilan
Yu, Hao-Ran
Calabrò, Antonello
Castellano, Marco
Leethochawalit, Nicha
Metha, Benjamin
Nanayakkara, Themiya
Roy, Namrata
Vulcani, Benedetta
Astrophysics of Galaxies
The electron density (${n_{\rm e}}$) of the interstellar medium (ISM) in star-forming galaxies is intimately linked to star formation and ionization condition. Using the high-resolution spectra obtained from the JWST NIRSpec micro shutter assembly (MSA) as part of the GLASS-JWST program, we have assembled the largest sample to date (34 galaxies) with individual ${n_{\rm e}}$ measurements derived from the [OII] $λλ$3726,29 and/or [SII] $λλ$6718,32 doublets at $0.7\lesssim z\lesssim 9.3$. The gravitational lensing magnification by the foreground Abell~2744 cluster allows us to probe ${n_{\rm e}}$ in galaxies with stellar masses ($M_{*}$) down to $\simeq 10^{7.5} M_\odot$ across the entire redshift range. Our analysis reveals that the [OII] flux ratios are marginally anti-correlated with specific star formation rate (sSFR) within a 1-$σ$ confidence interval, whereas the [SII] flux ratios show no significant correlation with sSFR. Despite clear correlation between sSFR and redshift within our sample, we find no apparent redshift evolution of ${n_{\rm e}}$ at $z \simeq 1-9$. Our dataset also includes 13 galaxies where ${n_{\rm e}}$ can be measured from both [OII] and [SII]. Contrary to findings at lower redshifts, we observe considerable scatter in ${n_{\rm e}}$ measurements from [OII] and [SII], indicating a complex gaseous environment with significant variations in ${n_{\rm e}}$ in high-redshift galaxies. This work highlights the unique capability of JWST NIRSpec/MSA high-resolution spectroscopy to characterize the detailed physical properties of the ISM in individual high-redshift galaxies.
title Early Results from GLASS-JWST. XXV. Electron Density in the Interstellar Medium at $0.7\lesssim z\lesssim 9.3$ with NIRSpec High-resolution Spectroscopy
topic Astrophysics of Galaxies
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2412.08382