Spatially resolved PAH$_{3.3}$ emission and stellar ages in ram pressure stripped clumps at $z\sim0.3$
Fuente:
arXiv
Gespeichert in:
| Hauptverfasser: | , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Preprint |
| Veröffentlicht: |
2025
|
| Schlagworte: | |
| Online-Zugang: | |
| Tags: |
Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
|
| _version_ | 1866915802316275712 |
|---|---|
| author | Benotto, Pietro Vulcani, Benedetta Watson, Peter J. Rodighiero, Giulia Poggianti, Bianca M. Gullieuszik, Marco Fritz, Jacopo Lai, Thomas S. -Y. Lassen, Augusto E. Malkan, Matthew A. Moretti, Alessia |
| author_facet | Benotto, Pietro Vulcani, Benedetta Watson, Peter J. Rodighiero, Giulia Poggianti, Bianca M. Gullieuszik, Marco Fritz, Jacopo Lai, Thomas S. -Y. Lassen, Augusto E. Malkan, Matthew A. Moretti, Alessia |
| contents | Ram pressure stripping (RPS) plays a crucial role in shaping galaxy evolution in dense environments, yet its impact on the molecular and dusty phases of the interstellar medium remains poorly understood. We present JWST/NIRCam $3.3\mathrm{μm}$ polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emission maps for the nine most striking RPS galaxies in the Abell 2744 cluster at redshift $z_{cl}=0.306$, tracing the effects of environmental processes on small dust grains. Exploiting multi-band JWST/NIRCam and HST photometry, we performed a spatially resolved ultraviolet (UV) to mid-infrared (MIR) spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting to characterise stellar populations in both galactic disks and clumps detected in the stripped tails. We detected PAH$_{3.3}$ emission in eight of the nine galaxies at $5σ$, with morphologies revealing disk truncation and elongation along the RPS direction. In three galaxies, PAH$_{3.3}$ emission is also found in star-forming clumps embedded in the stripped tails up to a distance of $40\mathrm{kpc}$. Star formation rates inferred from PAH$_{3.3}$ emission are in agreement with those derived from SED fitting averaged over the past $100\mathrm{Myr}$ within an intrinsic scatter of $0.4\mathrm{dex}$, but the relation appears to be age-dependent. The spatial correlation between the PAH strength, stellar age, and star formation rate (SFR) is consistent across disks and tails and demonstrates that PAH-carrying molecules can survive and become stripped by ram pressure. Finally, age gradients revealed by the SED fitting provide observational evidence of the fireball model in star-forming, stripped clumps of galaxies at $z \sim 0.3$. This work represents the first detailed study of PAH emission in cluster galaxies, offering new insights into the fate of dust and star formation in extreme environments. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2511_05113 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Spatially resolved PAH$_{3.3}$ emission and stellar ages in ram pressure stripped clumps at $z\sim0.3$ Benotto, Pietro Vulcani, Benedetta Watson, Peter J. Rodighiero, Giulia Poggianti, Bianca M. Gullieuszik, Marco Fritz, Jacopo Lai, Thomas S. -Y. Lassen, Augusto E. Malkan, Matthew A. Moretti, Alessia Astrophysics of Galaxies Ram pressure stripping (RPS) plays a crucial role in shaping galaxy evolution in dense environments, yet its impact on the molecular and dusty phases of the interstellar medium remains poorly understood. We present JWST/NIRCam $3.3\mathrm{μm}$ polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emission maps for the nine most striking RPS galaxies in the Abell 2744 cluster at redshift $z_{cl}=0.306$, tracing the effects of environmental processes on small dust grains. Exploiting multi-band JWST/NIRCam and HST photometry, we performed a spatially resolved ultraviolet (UV) to mid-infrared (MIR) spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting to characterise stellar populations in both galactic disks and clumps detected in the stripped tails. We detected PAH$_{3.3}$ emission in eight of the nine galaxies at $5σ$, with morphologies revealing disk truncation and elongation along the RPS direction. In three galaxies, PAH$_{3.3}$ emission is also found in star-forming clumps embedded in the stripped tails up to a distance of $40\mathrm{kpc}$. Star formation rates inferred from PAH$_{3.3}$ emission are in agreement with those derived from SED fitting averaged over the past $100\mathrm{Myr}$ within an intrinsic scatter of $0.4\mathrm{dex}$, but the relation appears to be age-dependent. The spatial correlation between the PAH strength, stellar age, and star formation rate (SFR) is consistent across disks and tails and demonstrates that PAH-carrying molecules can survive and become stripped by ram pressure. Finally, age gradients revealed by the SED fitting provide observational evidence of the fireball model in star-forming, stripped clumps of galaxies at $z \sim 0.3$. This work represents the first detailed study of PAH emission in cluster galaxies, offering new insights into the fate of dust and star formation in extreme environments. |
| title | Spatially resolved PAH$_{3.3}$ emission and stellar ages in ram pressure stripped clumps at $z\sim0.3$ |
| topic | Astrophysics of Galaxies |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.05113 |