Galaxy Zoo CEERS: Bar fractions up to z~4.0

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Géron, Tobias, Smethurst, R. J., Dickinson, Hugh, Fortson, L. F., Garland, Izzy L., Kruk, Sandor, Lintott, Chris, Makechemu, Jason Shingirai, Mantha, Kameswara Bharadwaj, Masters, Karen L., O'Ryan, David, Roberts, Hayley, Simmons, B. D., Walmsley, Mike, Calabrò, Antonello, Chiba, Rimpei, Costantin, Luca, Drout, Maria R., Fragkoudi, Francesca, Guo, Yuchen, Holwerda, B. W., Jogee, Shardha, Koekemoer, Anton M., Lucas, Ray A., Pacucci, Fabio
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Géron, Tobias
Smethurst, R. J.
Dickinson, Hugh
Fortson, L. F.
Garland, Izzy L.
Kruk, Sandor
Lintott, Chris
Makechemu, Jason Shingirai
Mantha, Kameswara Bharadwaj
Masters, Karen L.
O'Ryan, David
Roberts, Hayley
Simmons, B. D.
Walmsley, Mike
Calabrò, Antonello
Chiba, Rimpei
Costantin, Luca
Drout, Maria R.
Fragkoudi, Francesca
Guo, Yuchen
Holwerda, B. W.
Jogee, Shardha
Koekemoer, Anton M.
Lucas, Ray A.
Pacucci, Fabio
author_facet Géron, Tobias
Smethurst, R. J.
Dickinson, Hugh
Fortson, L. F.
Garland, Izzy L.
Kruk, Sandor
Lintott, Chris
Makechemu, Jason Shingirai
Mantha, Kameswara Bharadwaj
Masters, Karen L.
O'Ryan, David
Roberts, Hayley
Simmons, B. D.
Walmsley, Mike
Calabrò, Antonello
Chiba, Rimpei
Costantin, Luca
Drout, Maria R.
Fragkoudi, Francesca
Guo, Yuchen
Holwerda, B. W.
Jogee, Shardha
Koekemoer, Anton M.
Lucas, Ray A.
Pacucci, Fabio
contents We study the evolution of the bar fraction in disc galaxies between $0.5 < z < 4.0$ using multi-band coloured images from JWST CEERS. These images were classified by citizen scientists in a new phase of the Galaxy Zoo project called GZ CEERS. Citizen scientists were asked whether a strong or weak bar was visible in the host galaxy. After considering multiple corrections for observational biases, we find that the bar fraction decreases with redshift in our volume-limited sample (n = 398); from $25^{+6}_{-4}$% at $0.5 < z < 1.0$ to $3^{+6}_{-1}$% at $3.0 < z < 4.0$. However, we argue it is appropriate to interpret these fractions as lower limits. Disentangling real changes in the bar fraction from detection biases remains challenging. Nevertheless, we find a significant number of bars up to $z = 2.5$. This implies that discs are dynamically cool or baryon-dominated, enabling them to host bars. This also suggests that bar-driven secular evolution likely plays an important role at higher redshifts. When we distinguish between strong and weak bars, we find that the weak bar fraction decreases with increasing redshift. In contrast, the strong bar fraction is constant between $0.5 < z < 2.5$. This implies that the strong bars found in this work are robust long-lived structures, unless the rate of bar destruction is similar to the rate of bar formation. Finally, our results are consistent with disc instabilities being the dominant mode of bar formation at lower redshifts, while bar formation through interactions and mergers is more common at higher redshifts.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2505_01421
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Galaxy Zoo CEERS: Bar fractions up to z~4.0
Géron, Tobias
Smethurst, R. J.
Dickinson, Hugh
Fortson, L. F.
Garland, Izzy L.
Kruk, Sandor
Lintott, Chris
Makechemu, Jason Shingirai
Mantha, Kameswara Bharadwaj
Masters, Karen L.
O'Ryan, David
Roberts, Hayley
Simmons, B. D.
Walmsley, Mike
Calabrò, Antonello
Chiba, Rimpei
Costantin, Luca
Drout, Maria R.
Fragkoudi, Francesca
Guo, Yuchen
Holwerda, B. W.
Jogee, Shardha
Koekemoer, Anton M.
Lucas, Ray A.
Pacucci, Fabio
Astrophysics of Galaxies
We study the evolution of the bar fraction in disc galaxies between $0.5 < z < 4.0$ using multi-band coloured images from JWST CEERS. These images were classified by citizen scientists in a new phase of the Galaxy Zoo project called GZ CEERS. Citizen scientists were asked whether a strong or weak bar was visible in the host galaxy. After considering multiple corrections for observational biases, we find that the bar fraction decreases with redshift in our volume-limited sample (n = 398); from $25^{+6}_{-4}$% at $0.5 < z < 1.0$ to $3^{+6}_{-1}$% at $3.0 < z < 4.0$. However, we argue it is appropriate to interpret these fractions as lower limits. Disentangling real changes in the bar fraction from detection biases remains challenging. Nevertheless, we find a significant number of bars up to $z = 2.5$. This implies that discs are dynamically cool or baryon-dominated, enabling them to host bars. This also suggests that bar-driven secular evolution likely plays an important role at higher redshifts. When we distinguish between strong and weak bars, we find that the weak bar fraction decreases with increasing redshift. In contrast, the strong bar fraction is constant between $0.5 < z < 2.5$. This implies that the strong bars found in this work are robust long-lived structures, unless the rate of bar destruction is similar to the rate of bar formation. Finally, our results are consistent with disc instabilities being the dominant mode of bar formation at lower redshifts, while bar formation through interactions and mergers is more common at higher redshifts.
title Galaxy Zoo CEERS: Bar fractions up to z~4.0
topic Astrophysics of Galaxies
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.01421