The AURORA Survey: Tracing Galactic Outflows at $z\gtrsim2.5$ with JWST/NIRSpec NUV Absorption Lines

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Main Authors: Kehoe, Emily, Shapley, Alice E., Sanders, Ryan L., Reddy, Naveen A., Lam, Natalie, Clarke, Leonardo, Cullen, Fergus, Ellis, Richard S., Schreiber, N. M. Forster, Jones, Tucker, Khostovan, Ali Ahmad, McLeod, Derek J., McLure, Ross J., Narayanan, Desika, Oesch, Pascal, Pahl, Anthony J.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Kehoe, Emily
Shapley, Alice E.
Sanders, Ryan L.
Reddy, Naveen A.
Lam, Natalie
Clarke, Leonardo
Cullen, Fergus
Ellis, Richard S.
Schreiber, N. M. Forster
Jones, Tucker
Khostovan, Ali Ahmad
McLeod, Derek J.
McLure, Ross J.
Narayanan, Desika
Oesch, Pascal
Pahl, Anthony J.
author_facet Kehoe, Emily
Shapley, Alice E.
Sanders, Ryan L.
Reddy, Naveen A.
Lam, Natalie
Clarke, Leonardo
Cullen, Fergus
Ellis, Richard S.
Schreiber, N. M. Forster
Jones, Tucker
Khostovan, Ali Ahmad
McLeod, Derek J.
McLure, Ross J.
Narayanan, Desika
Oesch, Pascal
Pahl, Anthony J.
contents We probe galactic-scale outflows in star-forming galaxies at $z\gtrsim2.5$ drawn from the \textit{JWST}/NIRSpec AURORA program. For the first time, we directly compare outflow properties from the early universe to the present day using near-UV absorption lines. We measure ISM kinematics from Fe\,{\sc ii} and Mg\,{\sc ii} absorption features in 41 and 43 galaxies, respectively, and examine how these kinematics correlate with galaxy properties. We find that galaxies with outflows tend to have higher stellar masses, and that maximum outflow velocities increase with stellar mass, SFR, UV slope $β$, $E(B-V)$, and $A_V$. We also find that Mg\,{\sc ii} emission is more common in galaxies with lower masses, higher sSFRs, and less dust. These trends are consistent with those in star-forming galaxies at $z<2$ when using the same outflow tracers, suggesting that the feedback from star formation has played a persistent role in shaping galaxy evolution over cosmic time. We also directly compare near-UV and far-UV features in the same NIRSpec spectrum for a $z=5.19$ galaxy, finding consistent ISM kinematics and demonstrating that different tracers yield comparable measurements. We also detect Na\,D absorption in 10 galaxies, which have higher stellar mass, SFR, and dust attenuation compared to galaxies without Na\,D absorption, which is consistent with $z\sim0$ studies. The broad continuum coverage and sensitivity of NIRSpec will enable future studies with larger samples, allowing for robust tests of these trends across a wider dynamic range of galaxy properties.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2506_17381
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle The AURORA Survey: Tracing Galactic Outflows at $z\gtrsim2.5$ with JWST/NIRSpec NUV Absorption Lines
Kehoe, Emily
Shapley, Alice E.
Sanders, Ryan L.
Reddy, Naveen A.
Lam, Natalie
Clarke, Leonardo
Cullen, Fergus
Ellis, Richard S.
Schreiber, N. M. Forster
Jones, Tucker
Khostovan, Ali Ahmad
McLeod, Derek J.
McLure, Ross J.
Narayanan, Desika
Oesch, Pascal
Pahl, Anthony J.
Astrophysics of Galaxies
We probe galactic-scale outflows in star-forming galaxies at $z\gtrsim2.5$ drawn from the \textit{JWST}/NIRSpec AURORA program. For the first time, we directly compare outflow properties from the early universe to the present day using near-UV absorption lines. We measure ISM kinematics from Fe\,{\sc ii} and Mg\,{\sc ii} absorption features in 41 and 43 galaxies, respectively, and examine how these kinematics correlate with galaxy properties. We find that galaxies with outflows tend to have higher stellar masses, and that maximum outflow velocities increase with stellar mass, SFR, UV slope $β$, $E(B-V)$, and $A_V$. We also find that Mg\,{\sc ii} emission is more common in galaxies with lower masses, higher sSFRs, and less dust. These trends are consistent with those in star-forming galaxies at $z<2$ when using the same outflow tracers, suggesting that the feedback from star formation has played a persistent role in shaping galaxy evolution over cosmic time. We also directly compare near-UV and far-UV features in the same NIRSpec spectrum for a $z=5.19$ galaxy, finding consistent ISM kinematics and demonstrating that different tracers yield comparable measurements. We also detect Na\,D absorption in 10 galaxies, which have higher stellar mass, SFR, and dust attenuation compared to galaxies without Na\,D absorption, which is consistent with $z\sim0$ studies. The broad continuum coverage and sensitivity of NIRSpec will enable future studies with larger samples, allowing for robust tests of these trends across a wider dynamic range of galaxy properties.
title The AURORA Survey: Tracing Galactic Outflows at $z\gtrsim2.5$ with JWST/NIRSpec NUV Absorption Lines
topic Astrophysics of Galaxies
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.17381