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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2025
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.00162 |
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| _version_ | 1866917113469337600 |
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| author | Raptis, Menelaos Rudie, Gwen C. Trainor, Ryan F. Rogers, Noah S. J. Strom, Allison L. Cuestas, Nathalie A. Korhonen von Raesfeld, Caroline Lin, Ye Abraham, Ojima Ojodomo Chapman, Christopher Steidel, Charles C. Maseda, Michael V. |
| author_facet | Raptis, Menelaos Rudie, Gwen C. Trainor, Ryan F. Rogers, Noah S. J. Strom, Allison L. Cuestas, Nathalie A. Korhonen von Raesfeld, Caroline Lin, Ye Abraham, Ojima Ojodomo Chapman, Christopher Steidel, Charles C. Maseda, Michael V. |
| contents | A galaxy's metallicity and its relation to stellar mass encode the history of gas accretion, star formation, and outflows within cosmic ecosystems. We present new constraints on the low-mass end of the mass-metallicity relation (MZR) at $z\sim2-3$ from ultra-deep JWST/NIRSpec spectroscopy of seven continuum-faint galaxies in the Chemical Evolution Constrained using Ionized Lines in Interstellar Aurorae (CECILIA) Faint sample (Raptis et al. 2025). Our sample includes Ly$α$-selected and other low-luminosity star-forming galaxies with stellar masses $\log(M_\star / M_\odot)\sim7.2-9.7$ and moderately faint rest-UV magnitudes ($-20.7 \lesssim M_{\rm UV} \lesssim -17.3$). Gas-phase oxygen abundances, calculated using empirical calibrations of [O III]/H$β$ together with [N II]/H$α$ constraints, span $\sim0.04-0.5$ $Z_\odot$. We measure a steep MZR slope of $γ= 0.48 \pm 0.11$, suggesting a rapid increase in metal retention efficiency with mass, consistent with energy-driven outflows. Comparison with lower- and higher-redshift studies indicates an evolution in normalization from $z\sim0$ to $z\sim2$, reflecting less metal enrichment in early galaxies. We find no significant evolution in the MZR between $z\sim2$ and the Epoch of Reionization, suggesting that our galaxies may serve as useful analogs of reionization-era systems. Expanded samples and direct $T_e$-based abundance measurements will be crucial to fully trace the build-up of metals in low-mass galaxies during the peak epoch of cosmic star formation and to test the reliability of strong-line calibrations in these galaxies. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2512_00162 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | CECILIA: The Mass-Metallicity Relation of Low-Mass Galaxies at Cosmic Noon Raptis, Menelaos Rudie, Gwen C. Trainor, Ryan F. Rogers, Noah S. J. Strom, Allison L. Cuestas, Nathalie A. Korhonen von Raesfeld, Caroline Lin, Ye Abraham, Ojima Ojodomo Chapman, Christopher Steidel, Charles C. Maseda, Michael V. Astrophysics of Galaxies A galaxy's metallicity and its relation to stellar mass encode the history of gas accretion, star formation, and outflows within cosmic ecosystems. We present new constraints on the low-mass end of the mass-metallicity relation (MZR) at $z\sim2-3$ from ultra-deep JWST/NIRSpec spectroscopy of seven continuum-faint galaxies in the Chemical Evolution Constrained using Ionized Lines in Interstellar Aurorae (CECILIA) Faint sample (Raptis et al. 2025). Our sample includes Ly$α$-selected and other low-luminosity star-forming galaxies with stellar masses $\log(M_\star / M_\odot)\sim7.2-9.7$ and moderately faint rest-UV magnitudes ($-20.7 \lesssim M_{\rm UV} \lesssim -17.3$). Gas-phase oxygen abundances, calculated using empirical calibrations of [O III]/H$β$ together with [N II]/H$α$ constraints, span $\sim0.04-0.5$ $Z_\odot$. We measure a steep MZR slope of $γ= 0.48 \pm 0.11$, suggesting a rapid increase in metal retention efficiency with mass, consistent with energy-driven outflows. Comparison with lower- and higher-redshift studies indicates an evolution in normalization from $z\sim0$ to $z\sim2$, reflecting less metal enrichment in early galaxies. We find no significant evolution in the MZR between $z\sim2$ and the Epoch of Reionization, suggesting that our galaxies may serve as useful analogs of reionization-era systems. Expanded samples and direct $T_e$-based abundance measurements will be crucial to fully trace the build-up of metals in low-mass galaxies during the peak epoch of cosmic star formation and to test the reliability of strong-line calibrations in these galaxies. |
| title | CECILIA: The Mass-Metallicity Relation of Low-Mass Galaxies at Cosmic Noon |
| topic | Astrophysics of Galaxies |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.00162 |