_version_ 1866909854229069824
author Fujimoto, Seiji
Faisst, Andreas L.
Tsujita, Akiyoshi
Kohandel, Mahsa
Lee, Lilian L.
Übler, Hannah
Loiacono, Federica
Nezhad, Negin
Pallottini, Andrea
Aravena, Manuel
Assef, Roberto J.
Battisti, Andrew J.
Béthermin, Matthieu
Boquien, Médéric
da Cunha, Elisabete
Ferrara, Andrea
Franco, Maximilien
Ginolfi, Michele
Hadi, Ali
Haghjoo, Aryana
Herrera-Camus, Rodrigo
Inami, Hanae
Koekemoer, Anton M.
Lemaux, Brian C.
Li, Yuan
Liu, Lun-Jun
Molina, Juan
Nanni, Ambra
Pozzi, Francesca
Relano, Monica
Romano, Michael
Sanders, David B.
Schreiber, Natascha M. Förster
Silverman, John
Spilker, Justin
Telikova, Kseniia
Villanueva, Vicente
Vallini, Livia
Wang, Wuji
Zamorani, Giovanni
author_facet Fujimoto, Seiji
Faisst, Andreas L.
Tsujita, Akiyoshi
Kohandel, Mahsa
Lee, Lilian L.
Übler, Hannah
Loiacono, Federica
Nezhad, Negin
Pallottini, Andrea
Aravena, Manuel
Assef, Roberto J.
Battisti, Andrew J.
Béthermin, Matthieu
Boquien, Médéric
da Cunha, Elisabete
Ferrara, Andrea
Franco, Maximilien
Ginolfi, Michele
Hadi, Ali
Haghjoo, Aryana
Herrera-Camus, Rodrigo
Inami, Hanae
Koekemoer, Anton M.
Lemaux, Brian C.
Li, Yuan
Liu, Lun-Jun
Molina, Juan
Nanni, Ambra
Pozzi, Francesca
Relano, Monica
Romano, Michael
Sanders, David B.
Schreiber, Natascha M. Förster
Silverman, John
Spilker, Justin
Telikova, Kseniia
Villanueva, Vicente
Vallini, Livia
Wang, Wuji
Zamorani, Giovanni
contents We present a statistical study of spatially resolved chemical enrichment in 18 main-sequence galaxies at $z=4$--6, observed with \jwst/NIRSpec IFU as part of the ALPINE-CRISTAL-\jwst\ survey. Performing an optimized reduction and calibration procedure, including local background subtraction, light-leakage masking, stripe removal, and astrometry refinement, we achieve robust emission-line mapping on kiloparsec scales. Although line-ratio distributions vary across galaxies in our sample, we generally find mild central enhancements in [O\,\textsc{iii}]/H$β$, [O\,\textsc{ii}]/[O\,\textsc{iii}], [S\,\textsc{ii}]$_{6732}$/[S\,\textsc{ii}]$_{6718}$, H$α$/H$β$, and $L_{\rm Hα}/L_{\rm UV}$, consistent with elevated electron density, dust obscuration, and bursty star formation accompanied by reduced metallicity and ionization parameter. These features point to inside-out growth fueled by recent inflows of pristine gas. Nevertheless, the median metallicity gradient is nearly flat over a few kpc scale, $Δ\log({\rm O/H}) = 0.02 \pm 0.01$ dex kpc$^{-1}$, implying efficient chemical mixing through inflows, outflows, and mergers. From pixel-by-pixel stellar and emission-line characterizations, we further investigate the resolved Fundamental Metallicity Relation (rFMR). Metallicity is described by a fundamental plane with stellar mass and SFR surface densities, but with a stronger dependence on $Σ_{\rm SFR}$ than seen in local galaxies. Our results indicate that the regulatory processes linking star formation, gas flows, and metal enrichment were already vigorous $\sim$1 Gyr after the Big Bang, producing the nearly flat metallicity gradient and a stronger coupling between star formation and metallicity than observed in evolved systems in the local universe.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2510_16116
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle The ALPINE-CRISTAL-JWST Survey: NIRSpec IFU Data Processing and Spatially-resolved Views of Chemical Enrichment in Normal Galaxies at z=4-6
Fujimoto, Seiji
Faisst, Andreas L.
Tsujita, Akiyoshi
Kohandel, Mahsa
Lee, Lilian L.
Übler, Hannah
Loiacono, Federica
Nezhad, Negin
Pallottini, Andrea
Aravena, Manuel
Assef, Roberto J.
Battisti, Andrew J.
Béthermin, Matthieu
Boquien, Médéric
da Cunha, Elisabete
Ferrara, Andrea
Franco, Maximilien
Ginolfi, Michele
Hadi, Ali
Haghjoo, Aryana
Herrera-Camus, Rodrigo
Inami, Hanae
Koekemoer, Anton M.
Lemaux, Brian C.
Li, Yuan
Liu, Lun-Jun
Molina, Juan
Nanni, Ambra
Pozzi, Francesca
Relano, Monica
Romano, Michael
Sanders, David B.
Schreiber, Natascha M. Förster
Silverman, John
Spilker, Justin
Telikova, Kseniia
Villanueva, Vicente
Vallini, Livia
Wang, Wuji
Zamorani, Giovanni
Astrophysics of Galaxies
We present a statistical study of spatially resolved chemical enrichment in 18 main-sequence galaxies at $z=4$--6, observed with \jwst/NIRSpec IFU as part of the ALPINE-CRISTAL-\jwst\ survey. Performing an optimized reduction and calibration procedure, including local background subtraction, light-leakage masking, stripe removal, and astrometry refinement, we achieve robust emission-line mapping on kiloparsec scales. Although line-ratio distributions vary across galaxies in our sample, we generally find mild central enhancements in [O\,\textsc{iii}]/H$β$, [O\,\textsc{ii}]/[O\,\textsc{iii}], [S\,\textsc{ii}]$_{6732}$/[S\,\textsc{ii}]$_{6718}$, H$α$/H$β$, and $L_{\rm Hα}/L_{\rm UV}$, consistent with elevated electron density, dust obscuration, and bursty star formation accompanied by reduced metallicity and ionization parameter. These features point to inside-out growth fueled by recent inflows of pristine gas. Nevertheless, the median metallicity gradient is nearly flat over a few kpc scale, $Δ\log({\rm O/H}) = 0.02 \pm 0.01$ dex kpc$^{-1}$, implying efficient chemical mixing through inflows, outflows, and mergers. From pixel-by-pixel stellar and emission-line characterizations, we further investigate the resolved Fundamental Metallicity Relation (rFMR). Metallicity is described by a fundamental plane with stellar mass and SFR surface densities, but with a stronger dependence on $Σ_{\rm SFR}$ than seen in local galaxies. Our results indicate that the regulatory processes linking star formation, gas flows, and metal enrichment were already vigorous $\sim$1 Gyr after the Big Bang, producing the nearly flat metallicity gradient and a stronger coupling between star formation and metallicity than observed in evolved systems in the local universe.
title The ALPINE-CRISTAL-JWST Survey: NIRSpec IFU Data Processing and Spatially-resolved Views of Chemical Enrichment in Normal Galaxies at z=4-6
topic Astrophysics of Galaxies
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.16116