Evolution and Mass Dependence of UV-to-near-IR Color Gradients up to z=2.5 from HST+JWST

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Hauptverfasser: Martorano, Marco, van der Wel, Arjen, Gebek, Andrea, Baes, Maarten, Bell, Eric F., Brammer, Gabriel, Meidt, Sharon E., Nersesian, Angelos, Whitaker, Katherine, Wuyts, Stijn
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Veröffentlicht: 2025
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author Martorano, Marco
van der Wel, Arjen
Gebek, Andrea
Baes, Maarten
Bell, Eric F.
Brammer, Gabriel
Meidt, Sharon E.
Nersesian, Angelos
Whitaker, Katherine
Wuyts, Stijn
author_facet Martorano, Marco
van der Wel, Arjen
Gebek, Andrea
Baes, Maarten
Bell, Eric F.
Brammer, Gabriel
Meidt, Sharon E.
Nersesian, Angelos
Whitaker, Katherine
Wuyts, Stijn
contents We present the redshift evolution of radial color gradients (in rest-frame ${\textit{U}} - {\textit{V}}$ and ${\textit{V}} - {\textit{J}}$) for galaxies in the range $0.5<$ z $<2.5$ and investigate their origin and dependence on stellar mass. We select $\sim 10,200$ galaxies with stellar masses $M_\star>10^{9.5}~{\text{M}}_\odot$ from publicly available JWST/NIRCam-selected catalogs. Using 2D Sérsic profile fits to account for PSF broadening, we perform spatially resolved SED fitting on HST and JWST/NIRCam photometry retrieving accurate rest-frame ${\textit{U}} - {\textit{V}}$ and ${\textit{V}} - {\textit{J}}$ color gradients within 2$R_\text{e, F444W}$. Star-forming galaxies generally exhibit negative ${\textit{V}} - {\textit{J}}$ color gradients that are strongly mass and redshift dependent. For massive star-forming galaxies ($M_\star>10^{10.5}~{\text{M}}_\odot$) at $z>1.5$ ${\textit{V}} - {\textit{J}}$ colors are $\approx 0.5$ mag redder within the effective radius than outside, on average. We find that, at all redshifts and across the entire stellar mass range, ${\textit{V}} - {\textit{J}}$ gradients strongly correlate with global attenuation ($A_V$), suggesting that they predominantly trace dust attenuation gradients. Edge-on galaxies are redder and have stronger gradients at all $z$, although the correlation weakens at higher $z$. The ${\textit{U}} - {\textit{V}}$ and ${\textit{V}} - {\textit{J}}$ color gradients in the quiescent galaxy population, in contrast, are weakly negative (from $\approx -0.1$ to $\approx- 0.2$ mag), though significant, and show little or no dependence on stellar mass, redshift or axis ratio. The implication is that quiescent galaxies must be largely transparent, with low $A_V$, and color gradients mostly attributable to stellar population gradients.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2512_02440
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Evolution and Mass Dependence of UV-to-near-IR Color Gradients up to z=2.5 from HST+JWST
Martorano, Marco
van der Wel, Arjen
Gebek, Andrea
Baes, Maarten
Bell, Eric F.
Brammer, Gabriel
Meidt, Sharon E.
Nersesian, Angelos
Whitaker, Katherine
Wuyts, Stijn
Astrophysics of Galaxies
We present the redshift evolution of radial color gradients (in rest-frame ${\textit{U}} - {\textit{V}}$ and ${\textit{V}} - {\textit{J}}$) for galaxies in the range $0.5<$ z $<2.5$ and investigate their origin and dependence on stellar mass. We select $\sim 10,200$ galaxies with stellar masses $M_\star>10^{9.5}~{\text{M}}_\odot$ from publicly available JWST/NIRCam-selected catalogs. Using 2D Sérsic profile fits to account for PSF broadening, we perform spatially resolved SED fitting on HST and JWST/NIRCam photometry retrieving accurate rest-frame ${\textit{U}} - {\textit{V}}$ and ${\textit{V}} - {\textit{J}}$ color gradients within 2$R_\text{e, F444W}$. Star-forming galaxies generally exhibit negative ${\textit{V}} - {\textit{J}}$ color gradients that are strongly mass and redshift dependent. For massive star-forming galaxies ($M_\star>10^{10.5}~{\text{M}}_\odot$) at $z>1.5$ ${\textit{V}} - {\textit{J}}$ colors are $\approx 0.5$ mag redder within the effective radius than outside, on average. We find that, at all redshifts and across the entire stellar mass range, ${\textit{V}} - {\textit{J}}$ gradients strongly correlate with global attenuation ($A_V$), suggesting that they predominantly trace dust attenuation gradients. Edge-on galaxies are redder and have stronger gradients at all $z$, although the correlation weakens at higher $z$. The ${\textit{U}} - {\textit{V}}$ and ${\textit{V}} - {\textit{J}}$ color gradients in the quiescent galaxy population, in contrast, are weakly negative (from $\approx -0.1$ to $\approx- 0.2$ mag), though significant, and show little or no dependence on stellar mass, redshift or axis ratio. The implication is that quiescent galaxies must be largely transparent, with low $A_V$, and color gradients mostly attributable to stellar population gradients.
title Evolution and Mass Dependence of UV-to-near-IR Color Gradients up to z=2.5 from HST+JWST
topic Astrophysics of Galaxies
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.02440