Guardado en:
| Autores principales: | , , |
|---|---|
| Formato: | Preprint |
| Publicado: |
2026
|
| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.05327 |
| Etiquetas: |
Agregar Etiqueta
Sin Etiquetas, Sea el primero en etiquetar este registro!
|
| _version_ | 1866915986380161024 |
|---|---|
| author | Giménez-Alcázar, A. Amorín, R. Vilchez, J. M. |
| author_facet | Giménez-Alcázar, A. Amorín, R. Vilchez, J. M. |
| contents | We investigate the mass-metallicity relation (MZR) from z=1 to z=9 using electron-temperature-based gas-phase metallicities and examine how auroral-line selection, star-formation history, and secondary abundances affect its interpretation in the early Universe. We compile a homogeneous sample of 286 star-forming galaxies observed with JWST/NIRSpec medium resolution spectroscopy, selected through detections of the [O\,III]\,$λ$4363 auroral line from the public DAWN JWST Archive (DJA). We derive electron densities, temperatures, and oxygen abundances using the direct $T_e$ method, along with relative N/O and He/H abundances. Stellar masses are obtained via SED fitting and star-formation rates from reddening-corrected Balmer emission lines. To quantify auroral-line selection biases, we additionally stack galaxy spectra with and without auroral-line detections, extending the MZR into regimes inaccessible to individual measurements. The auroral-line-detected sample spans log(M*/Msun)=6.77-10.5 and 12+log(O/H)=6.9-8.4. A linear fit gives an MZR slope of $γ$=0.38 $\pm$ 0.09. Stacked galaxies without individual $λ$4363 detections define a relation with a similar slope but metallicities higher by ~0.2-0.3 dex at fixed stellar mass. Auroral-line detections also show higher SFRs, larger equivalent widths, and larger offsets from the fundamental metallicity relation, whereas non-detections appear more chemically evolved and closer to it. Several stacked bins also show enhanced N/O and He/H ratios. These results indicate that the low-mass high-redshift MZR traced by JWST is shaped by both recent star-formation history and auroral-line selection effects. Auroral lines preferentially identify high-EW, high-sSFR galaxies in the low-metallicity envelope, whereas non-detections reveal a more enriched sequence closer to the metallicity expected from the FMR. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2605_05327 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Shape of Direct-Method Mass-Metallicity Relation with JWST: Fast-Track Nitrogen and Helium Enrichment Giménez-Alcázar, A. Amorín, R. Vilchez, J. M. Astrophysics of Galaxies We investigate the mass-metallicity relation (MZR) from z=1 to z=9 using electron-temperature-based gas-phase metallicities and examine how auroral-line selection, star-formation history, and secondary abundances affect its interpretation in the early Universe. We compile a homogeneous sample of 286 star-forming galaxies observed with JWST/NIRSpec medium resolution spectroscopy, selected through detections of the [O\,III]\,$λ$4363 auroral line from the public DAWN JWST Archive (DJA). We derive electron densities, temperatures, and oxygen abundances using the direct $T_e$ method, along with relative N/O and He/H abundances. Stellar masses are obtained via SED fitting and star-formation rates from reddening-corrected Balmer emission lines. To quantify auroral-line selection biases, we additionally stack galaxy spectra with and without auroral-line detections, extending the MZR into regimes inaccessible to individual measurements. The auroral-line-detected sample spans log(M*/Msun)=6.77-10.5 and 12+log(O/H)=6.9-8.4. A linear fit gives an MZR slope of $γ$=0.38 $\pm$ 0.09. Stacked galaxies without individual $λ$4363 detections define a relation with a similar slope but metallicities higher by ~0.2-0.3 dex at fixed stellar mass. Auroral-line detections also show higher SFRs, larger equivalent widths, and larger offsets from the fundamental metallicity relation, whereas non-detections appear more chemically evolved and closer to it. Several stacked bins also show enhanced N/O and He/H ratios. These results indicate that the low-mass high-redshift MZR traced by JWST is shaped by both recent star-formation history and auroral-line selection effects. Auroral lines preferentially identify high-EW, high-sSFR galaxies in the low-metallicity envelope, whereas non-detections reveal a more enriched sequence closer to the metallicity expected from the FMR. |
| title | Shape of Direct-Method Mass-Metallicity Relation with JWST: Fast-Track Nitrogen and Helium Enrichment |
| topic | Astrophysics of Galaxies |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.05327 |