Feeding the Dead: Neutral Gas Inflow in a Long-Quenched Ancient Massive Galaxy at $z\sim 2.7$ Observed with JWST/NIRSpec
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2025
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| author | Bevacqua, Davide Marchesini, Danilo Saracco, Paolo La Barbera, Francesco Pan, Richard Belli, Sirio Brammer, Gabriel De Marchi, Guido Ditrani, Fabio R. Giardino, Giovanna Glazebrook, Karl La Torre, Valentina Lin, Jamie Muzzin, Adam Roy, Namrata Santini, Paola Vulcani, Benedetta Watson, Peter J. Wang, Xin |
| author_facet | Bevacqua, Davide Marchesini, Danilo Saracco, Paolo La Barbera, Francesco Pan, Richard Belli, Sirio Brammer, Gabriel De Marchi, Guido Ditrani, Fabio R. Giardino, Giovanna Glazebrook, Karl La Torre, Valentina Lin, Jamie Muzzin, Adam Roy, Namrata Santini, Paola Vulcani, Benedetta Watson, Peter J. Wang, Xin |
| contents | We report the spectroscopic detection of neutral gas inflow into a massive ($M_* \simeq 4\times 10^{10} M_\odot$) quiescent galaxy observed at $z_{\rm{spec}} = 2.6576$ with JWST. From the redshifted absorption of the NaI doublet at $λλ5890, 5896 $ Ang, we estimate an inflow velocity $v=278^{+79}_{-79}$ km s$^{-1}$ and a column density $\log(N_{NaI}/\rm{cm^2}) = 13.02^{+0.03}_{-0.03}$. We derive the inflowing mass of the gas $M_{in} = 1.6^{+0.1}_{-0.1} \times 10^8 M_\odot$ and rate $\dot{M}_{in} = 19^{+6}_{-7} \, M_\odot \, \rm{yr}^{-1}$. The presence of several surrounding galaxies suggests that the galaxy may be accreting gas from nearby companions. However, we cannot confirm it with current data and the intergalactic medium or cosmic filaments are also viable sources of the inflowing gas. Despite the ongoing inflow, the galaxy remains quiescent, with an upper limit to the star formation rate of $0.2 \, M_\odot \, \rm{yr}^{-1}$. Moreover, its star formation history suggests that the galaxy has remained quiescent during the past $\sim1$ Gyr, with half of its stars formed by redshift $z_{50}=11^{+18}_{-3}$. We discuss that the inflow is not massive, dense, or long-lived enough to ignite significant star formation, or it is fueling low-level AGN activity instead. This is direct evidence that quiescent galaxies can accrete cold gas after their quenching while keeping their star formation subdued. Follow-up observations with JWST and ALMA will be needed to constraint the nature of the inflowing gas. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2510_11455 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Feeding the Dead: Neutral Gas Inflow in a Long-Quenched Ancient Massive Galaxy at $z\sim 2.7$ Observed with JWST/NIRSpec Bevacqua, Davide Marchesini, Danilo Saracco, Paolo La Barbera, Francesco Pan, Richard Belli, Sirio Brammer, Gabriel De Marchi, Guido Ditrani, Fabio R. Giardino, Giovanna Glazebrook, Karl La Torre, Valentina Lin, Jamie Muzzin, Adam Roy, Namrata Santini, Paola Vulcani, Benedetta Watson, Peter J. Wang, Xin Astrophysics of Galaxies We report the spectroscopic detection of neutral gas inflow into a massive ($M_* \simeq 4\times 10^{10} M_\odot$) quiescent galaxy observed at $z_{\rm{spec}} = 2.6576$ with JWST. From the redshifted absorption of the NaI doublet at $λλ5890, 5896 $ Ang, we estimate an inflow velocity $v=278^{+79}_{-79}$ km s$^{-1}$ and a column density $\log(N_{NaI}/\rm{cm^2}) = 13.02^{+0.03}_{-0.03}$. We derive the inflowing mass of the gas $M_{in} = 1.6^{+0.1}_{-0.1} \times 10^8 M_\odot$ and rate $\dot{M}_{in} = 19^{+6}_{-7} \, M_\odot \, \rm{yr}^{-1}$. The presence of several surrounding galaxies suggests that the galaxy may be accreting gas from nearby companions. However, we cannot confirm it with current data and the intergalactic medium or cosmic filaments are also viable sources of the inflowing gas. Despite the ongoing inflow, the galaxy remains quiescent, with an upper limit to the star formation rate of $0.2 \, M_\odot \, \rm{yr}^{-1}$. Moreover, its star formation history suggests that the galaxy has remained quiescent during the past $\sim1$ Gyr, with half of its stars formed by redshift $z_{50}=11^{+18}_{-3}$. We discuss that the inflow is not massive, dense, or long-lived enough to ignite significant star formation, or it is fueling low-level AGN activity instead. This is direct evidence that quiescent galaxies can accrete cold gas after their quenching while keeping their star formation subdued. Follow-up observations with JWST and ALMA will be needed to constraint the nature of the inflowing gas. |
| title | Feeding the Dead: Neutral Gas Inflow in a Long-Quenched Ancient Massive Galaxy at $z\sim 2.7$ Observed with JWST/NIRSpec |
| topic | Astrophysics of Galaxies |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.11455 |