Revealing Galaxy Candidates out to $z\sim 16$ with JWST Observations of the Lensing Cluster SMACS0723

Abstract

One of the main goals of the JWST is to study the first galaxies in the Universe. We present a systematic photometric analysis of very distant galaxies in the first JWST deep field towards the massive lensing cluster SMACS0723. As a result, we report the discovery of two galaxy candidates at $z\sim 16$, only $250$ million years after the Big Bang. We also identify two candidates at $z\sim 12$ and 6 candidates at $z\sim 9-11$. Our search extended out to $z\lesssim 21$ by combining color information across seven NIRCam and NIRISS filters. By modelling the Spectral Energy Distributions (SEDs) with \texttt{EAZY} and \texttt{BEAGLE}, we test the robustness of the photometric redshift estimates. While their intrinsic (un-lensed) luminosity is typical of the characteristic luminosity L${}^{\ast }$ at $z>10$, our high-redshift galaxies typically show small sizes and their morphologies are consistent with disks in some cases. The highest-redshift candidates have extremely blue UV-continuum slopes $-3<\beta <-2.4$, young ages $\sim 10-100$\,Myr, and stellar masses around $\log (M_{\star }/{\mathrm{M}}_{\odot })=8.8$ inferred from their SED modeling, which indicate a rapid build-up of their stellar mass. Our search clearly demonstrates the capabilities of JWST to uncover robust photometric candidates up to very high redshifts, and peer into the formation epoch of the first galaxies.

Accepted for publication in MNRAS

References in corpus (28)

• The propagation of uncertainties in stellar population synthesis modeling I: The relevance of uncertain aspects of stellar evolution and the IMF to the derived physical properties of galaxies
• EAZY: A Fast, Public Photometric Redshift Code
• UV Luminosity Functions at redshifts z~4 to z~10: 10000 Galaxies from HST Legacy Fields
• The Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) on the James Webb Space Telescope I. Overview of the instrument and its capabilities
• A Bayesian approach to strong lensing modelling of galaxy clusters
• New Determinations of the UV Luminosity Functions from z~9 to z~2 show a remarkable consistency with halo growth and a constant star formation efficiency
• Early results from GLASS-JWST. III: Galaxy candidates at z$\sim$9-15
• Modelling the nebular emission from primeval to present-day star-forming galaxies
• The galaxy stellar mass function at 3.5<z<7.5 in the CANDELS/UDS, GOODS-South, and HUDF fields
• The mass evolution of the first galaxies: stellar mass functions and star formation rates at $4<z<7$ in the CANDELS GOODS-South field
• Mass and magnification maps for the Hubble Space Telescope Frontier Fields clusters: implications for high redshift studies
• Multi-scale cluster lens mass mapping I. Strong Lensing modelling
• A lack of evolution in the very bright-end of the galaxy luminosity function from z = 8-10
• Reionization Era Bright Emission Line Survey: Selection and Characterization of Luminous Interstellar Medium Reservoirs in the z>6.5 Universe
• First look with JWST spectroscopy: $z\sim 8$ galaxies resemble local analogues
• New Constraints on the Faint-end of the UV Luminosity Function at z~7-8 using the Gravitational Lensing of the Hubble Frontier Fields Cluster A2744
• Galaxy Stellar Mass Functions from z~10 to z~6 using the Deepest Spitzer/IRAC Data: No Significant Evolution in the Stellar-to-Halo Mass Ratio of Galaxies in the First Gyr of Cosmic Time
• The GREATS H$\beta$+[OIII] Luminosity Function and Galaxy Properties at $\mathbf{z}\sim 8$: Walking the Way of JWST
• The Stellar Mass Density at z~6 from Spitzer Imaging of i-drop Galaxies
• The ALMA REBELS Survey: the dust content of $z\sim 7$ Lyman Break Galaxies
• The MOSDEF Survey: the Variation of the Dust Attenuation Curve with Metallicity
• A Search for H-Dropout Lyman Break Galaxies at z~12-16
• The sizes of $z\sim 6-8$ lensed galaxies from the Hubble Frontier Fields Abell 2744 data
• Evidence for GN-z11 as a luminous galaxy at redshift 10.957
• Hubble Space Telescope Grism Spectroscopy of Extreme Starbursts Across Cosmic Time: The Role of Dwarf Galaxies in the Star Formation History of the Universe
• How robustly can we constrain the low-mass end of the $z\sim 6-7$ stellar mass function? -- The limits of lensing models and stellar population assumptions in the Hubble Frontier Fields
• COSMOS2020: UV selected galaxies at $z\ge 7.5$
• HST strong-lensing model for the first JWST galaxy cluster SMACS J0723.3-7327

Cited by in corpus (108)

• A Comprehensive Study on Galaxies at z~9-16 Found in the Early JWST Data: UV Luminosity Functions and Cosmic Star-Formation History at the Pre-Reionization Epoch
• Stress Testing $\Lambda$CDM with High-redshift Galaxy Candidates
• The CosmoVerse White Paper: Addressing observational tensions in cosmology with systematics and fundamental physics
• Identification and properties of intense star-forming galaxies at redshifts z>10
• On the stunning abundance of super-early, massive galaxies revealed by JWST
• The brightest galaxies at Cosmic Dawn
• Confirmation and refutation of very luminous galaxies in the early universe
• A JWST/NIRCam Study of Key Contributors to Reionization: The Star-forming and Ionizing Properties of UV-faint $z\sim 7-8$ Galaxies
• Spectroscopic Confirmation of CEERS NIRCam-selected Galaxies at $\mathbf{z}\simeq 8-10$
• JADES Imaging of GN-z11: Revealing the Morphology and Environment of a Luminous Galaxy 430 Myr After the Big Bang
• CEERS Spectroscopic Confirmation of NIRCam-Selected z > 8 Galaxy Candidates with JWST/NIRSpec: Initial Characterization of their Properties
• Evolution of the UV LF from z~15 to z~8 Using New JWST NIRCam Medium-Band Observations over the HUDF/XDF
• Dusty Starbursts Masquerading as Ultra-high Redshift Galaxies in JWST CEERS Observations
• UV Luminosity Density Results at z>8 from the First JWST/NIRCam Fields: Limitations of Early Data Sets and the Need for Spectroscopy
• JWST UNCOVER: Extremely red and compact object at$z_{\mathrm{phot}}\simeq 7.6$ triply imaged by Abell 2744
• Are the ultra-high-redshift galaxies at z > 10 surprising in the context of standard galaxy formation models?
• The ultraviolet continuum slopes ($\beta$) of galaxies at $\mathbf{z}\simeq 8-16$ from JWST and ground-based near-infrared imaging
• Searching for Extremely Blue UV Continuum Slopes at $z=7-11$ in JWST/NIRCam Imaging: Implications for Stellar Metallicity and Ionizing Photon Escape in Early Galaxies
• Stochastic star formation in early galaxies: JWST implications
• EPOCHS VI: The Size and Shape Evolution of Galaxies since z ~ 8 with JWST Observations
• RUBIES: a complete census of the bright and red distant Universe with JWST/NIRSpec
• A Magnified Compact Galaxy at Redshift 9.51 with Strong Nebular Emission Lines
• Dark energy in light of the early JWST observations: case for a negative cosmological constant?
• JWST early Universe observations and ΛCDM cosmology
• Spectral Templates Optimal for Selecting Galaxies at z > 8 with JWST
• Primordial Black Holes
• Templates for Fitting Photometry of Ultra-High-Redshift Galaxies
• JWST UNCOVER: Discovery of $z>9$ Galaxy Candidates Behind the Lensing Cluster Abell 2744
• Morphologies of Galaxies at $z\gtrsim 9$ Uncovered by JWST/NIRCam Imaging: Cosmic Size Evolution and an Identification of an Extremely Compact Bright Galaxy at $z\sim 12$
• Blue Monsters. Why are JWST super-early, massive galaxies so blue?
• Did JWST observe imprints of axion miniclusters or primordial black holes?
• Primordial power spectrum in light of JWST observations of high redshift galaxies
• Constraining the physical properties of the first lensed $z\sim 10-16$ galaxy candidates with JWST
• Deep ALMA redshift search of a z~12 GLASS-JWST galaxy candidate
• A Large Population of Faint 8<z<16 Galaxies Found in the First JWST NIRCam Observations of the NGDEEP Survey
• Physical Characterization of Early Galaxies in the Webb's First Deep Field SMACS J0723.3-7323
• Quantifying the Effects of Known Unknowns on Inferred High-redshift Galaxy Properties: Burstiness, the IMF, and Nebular Physics
• EPOCHS IV: SED Modelling Assumptions and their impact on the Stellar Mass Function at 6.5 < z < 13.5 using PEARLS and public JWST observations
• Two lensed star candidates at $z\simeq 4.8$ behind the galaxy cluster MACS J0647.7+7015
• Alleviating the need for exponential evolution of JWST galaxies in 10${}^{10}{M}_{\odot }$ haloes at $z>10$ by a modified $\Lambda$CDM power spectrum
• JWST reveals a possible $z\sim 11$ galaxy merger in triply-lensed MACS0647$-$JD
• High-redshift JWST Observations and Primordial Non-Gaussianity
• Peering into cosmic reionization: the Ly$\alpha$ visibility evolution from galaxies at $z$ = 4.5-8.5 with JWST
• The assembly of dusty galaxies at $z\ge 4$: the build-up of stellar mass and its scaling relations with hints from early JWST data
• Rapidly growing primordial black holes as seeds of the massive high-redshift JWST Galaxies
• Early Structure Formation from Cosmic String Loops in Light of Early JWST Observations
• The XQR-30 Metal Absorber Catalog: 778 Absorption Systems Spanning 2 < z < 6.5
• The first large catalogue of spectroscopic redshifts in Webb's First Deep Field, SMACS J0723.3$-$7327
• The ALMA REBELS Survey: The First Infrared Luminosity Function Measurement at $\mathbf{z \sim 7}
• Dust attenuation law in JWST galaxies at z = 7-8
• Cosmological Model Tests with JWST
• JWST high-z galaxy constraints on warm and cold dark matter models
• JWST UNCOVER: The Overabundance of Ultraviolet-luminous Galaxies at $z>9$
• Inferring the presence of very massive stars in local star-forming regions
• Deeper multi-redshift upper limits on the Epoch of Reionization 21-cm signal power spectrum from LOFAR between z=8.3 and z=10.1
• Examining the Decline in the C IV Content of the Universe over 4.3 < z < 6.3 using the E-XQR-30 Sample
• Black holes as the source of dark energy: a stringent test with high-redshift JWST AGNs
• ALMA Observation of a $z\gtrsim 10$ Galaxy Candidate Discovered with JWST
• Testing CCC+TL Cosmology with Observed BAO Features
• Metal and dust evolution in ALMA REBELS galaxies: insights for future JWST observations
• A photo-z cautionary tale: Redshift confirmation of COSBO-7 at z=2.625
• The mass-metallicity relation as a ruler for galaxy evolution: insights from the James Webb Space Telescope
• Hydrodynamical structure formation in Milgromian cosmology
• On the impact of spectral template uncertainties in synthetic stellar populations
• Flashlights: An Off-Caustic Lensed Star at Redshift $z$ = 1.26 in Abell 370
• Compatibility of JWST results with exotic halos
• To see or not to see a $z\sim 13$ galaxy, that is the question
• Growth of structures using redshift space distortion in $f(T)$ Cosmology
• Can primordial black holes explain the overabundance of bright super-early galaxies?
• Enhanced Early Galaxy Formation in JWST from Axion Dark Matter?
• Early results from GLASS-JWST XV: properties of the faintest red sources in the NIRCAM deep fields
• ALMA observations of super-early galaxies: attenuation-free model predictions
• Modelling the star-formation activity and ionizing properties of high-redshift galaxies
• First Light And Reionisation Epoch Simulations (FLARES) XI: [OIII] emitting galaxies at $5<z<10$
• Evolution of the UV slope of galaxies at cosmic morning (z > 4): the properties of extremely blue galaxies
• Beyond the first galaxies primordial black holes shine
• Influence of early dark matter halos on the primordial black holes merger rate
• Cosmology with supernova Encore in the strong lensing cluster MACS J0138-2155: Lens model comparison and H0 measurement
• The first GLIMPSE of the faint galaxy population at Cosmic Dawn with JWST: The evolution of the ultraviolet luminosity function across z~9-15
• Point-like sources among z>11 galaxy candidates: contaminants due to supernovae at high redshifts?
• On the expected purity of photometric galaxy surveys targeting the Cosmic Dawn
• JWST spectroscopic confirmation of the Cosmic Gems arc at z=9.625 -- Insights into the small scale structure of a post-burst system
• GalaPy, the highly optimised C++/Python spectral modelling tool for galaxies -- I. Library presentation and photometric fitting
• Discord in Concordance Cosmology and Anomalously Massive Early Galaxies
• Radio properties of Green Pea galaxies
• Probing the Nature of the First Galaxies with JWST and ALMA
• Unveiling the Cosmic Gems Arc at $z\sim 10$ with JWST NIRCam
• CEERS: Forging the First Dust Grains in the Universe? A Population of Galaxies with spectroscopically-derived Extremely Low Dust Attenuation (GELDA) at 4.0<z<11.4
• Can an Anti-de Sitter Vacuum in the Dark Energy Sector Explain JWST High-Redshift Galaxy and Reionization Observations?
• Signatures of Very Early Dark Energy in the Matter Power Spectrum
• Galaxy formation from a timescale perspective
• Hawking Radiation Signatures from Primordial Black Holes Transiting the Inner Solar System: Prospects for Detection
• Unveiling dust, molecular gas, and high star formation efficiency in extremely UV bright star-forming galaxies at $z\sim 2.1-3.6$
• Primordial black holes as dark matter candidates: Multi-frequency constraints from cosmic radiation backgrounds
• Amaryllis: a digital twin of the earliest galaxies in the Universe
• Predictions of the 21cm global signal in the JWST and ALMA era
• Reionization relics in the cross-correlation between the Ly$\alpha$ forest and 21 cm intensity mapping in the post-reionization era
• Evolution of Size, Mass, and Density of Galaxies Since Cosmic Dawn
• Dark Secrets of Baryons: Illuminating Dark Matter-Baryon Interactions with JWST
• The THESAN project: environmental drivers of Local Group reionization
• Parametric strong lensing model of the galaxy cluster Abell 2390 from Euclid and MUSE observations
• Probing power spectrum enhancement at small scales with the SKA
• The Cosmic Rush Hour: Rapid Formation of Bright, Massive, Disky, Star-Forming Galaxies as Signatures of Early-Universe Physics
• The History of Galaxy Mergers in IllustrisTNG
• Redshift Duality with Pantheon+SH0ES in a Planck-anchored Flat $\Lambda$CDM Framework: Implications for Hubble Tension and Observational Inference
• First Light: Switching on Stars at the Dawn of Time
• Magnification bias reveals severe contamination in Hubble Frontier Field photo-z catalogs
• Self-gravitating isothermal sphere in an expanding background