The Size Evolution and the Size-Mass Relation of Lyman-Alpha Emitters across $3 \lesssim z < 7$ as Observed by JWST
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| Auteurs principaux: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2025
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| _version_ | 1866912694907437056 |
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| author | Song, Qi Liu, F. S. Ren, Jian Zhao, Pinsong Cui, Qifan Li, Yubin Mo, Hao Luo, Yuchong Wang, Guanghuan Li, Nan Yesuf, Hassen M. Wang, Weichen Zhang, Xin Meng, Xianmin Fu, Mingxiang Zhang, Bingqing Ling, Chenxiaoji |
| author_facet | Song, Qi Liu, F. S. Ren, Jian Zhao, Pinsong Cui, Qifan Li, Yubin Mo, Hao Luo, Yuchong Wang, Guanghuan Li, Nan Yesuf, Hassen M. Wang, Weichen Zhang, Xin Meng, Xianmin Fu, Mingxiang Zhang, Bingqing Ling, Chenxiaoji |
| contents | Understanding the morphological structures of Lyman-alpha emitters (LAEs) is crucial for unveiling their formation pathways and the physical origins of Ly$α$ emission. However, the evolution of their sizes and structural scaling relations remains debated. In this study, we analyze a large sample of 876 spectroscopically confirmed LAEs at $3 \lesssim z < 7$, selected from the MUSE, VANDELS, and CANDELSz7 surveys in the GOODS-S, UDS, and COSMOS fields. Utilizing James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) NIRCam imaging data, we measure their rest-frame UV and optical V-band effective radii ($R_{\rm e}$) through two-dimensional Sérsic profile fitting. Our results show that these LAEs are generally compact, with a median $R_{\rm e,UV}$ of 0.50$^{+0.30}_{-0.24}$ kpc and a median $R_{\rm e,V}$ of 0.57$^{+0.33}_{-0.24}$ kpc. The size evolution follows $R_{\rm e,UV} \propto (1 + z)^{-0.91 \pm 0.10}$ and $R_{\rm e,V} \propto (1 + z)^{-0.93 \pm 0.18}$, respectively. Their UV and optical sizes are statistically comparable, indicating negligible UV-to-optical color gradients. For the first time, we establish the rest-frame optical size-mass relation for LAEs at $z>3$, finding slopes comparable to typical star-forming galaxies (SFGs), but with slightly smaller sizes at a given stellar mass. These results provide important clues for understanding structural evolution of LAEs in the early universe. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2508_05052 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | The Size Evolution and the Size-Mass Relation of Lyman-Alpha Emitters across $3 \lesssim z < 7$ as Observed by JWST Song, Qi Liu, F. S. Ren, Jian Zhao, Pinsong Cui, Qifan Li, Yubin Mo, Hao Luo, Yuchong Wang, Guanghuan Li, Nan Yesuf, Hassen M. Wang, Weichen Zhang, Xin Meng, Xianmin Fu, Mingxiang Zhang, Bingqing Ling, Chenxiaoji Astrophysics of Galaxies Understanding the morphological structures of Lyman-alpha emitters (LAEs) is crucial for unveiling their formation pathways and the physical origins of Ly$α$ emission. However, the evolution of their sizes and structural scaling relations remains debated. In this study, we analyze a large sample of 876 spectroscopically confirmed LAEs at $3 \lesssim z < 7$, selected from the MUSE, VANDELS, and CANDELSz7 surveys in the GOODS-S, UDS, and COSMOS fields. Utilizing James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) NIRCam imaging data, we measure their rest-frame UV and optical V-band effective radii ($R_{\rm e}$) through two-dimensional Sérsic profile fitting. Our results show that these LAEs are generally compact, with a median $R_{\rm e,UV}$ of 0.50$^{+0.30}_{-0.24}$ kpc and a median $R_{\rm e,V}$ of 0.57$^{+0.33}_{-0.24}$ kpc. The size evolution follows $R_{\rm e,UV} \propto (1 + z)^{-0.91 \pm 0.10}$ and $R_{\rm e,V} \propto (1 + z)^{-0.93 \pm 0.18}$, respectively. Their UV and optical sizes are statistically comparable, indicating negligible UV-to-optical color gradients. For the first time, we establish the rest-frame optical size-mass relation for LAEs at $z>3$, finding slopes comparable to typical star-forming galaxies (SFGs), but with slightly smaller sizes at a given stellar mass. These results provide important clues for understanding structural evolution of LAEs in the early universe. |
| title | The Size Evolution and the Size-Mass Relation of Lyman-Alpha Emitters across $3 \lesssim z < 7$ as Observed by JWST |
| topic | Astrophysics of Galaxies |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.05052 |