On the stunning abundance of super-early, massive galaxies revealed by JWST

Abstract

The earliest JWST observations have revealed an unexpected abundance of super-early ($z>10$), massive ($M_{\ast }\approx 10^9{M}_{\odot }$) galaxies at the bright-end ($M_{\mathrm{UV}}\approx -21$) of the ultraviolet luminosity function (UV LF). We present a minimal physical model that explains the observed galaxy abundance at $z=10-14$. The model primarily combines (a) the halo mass function, with (b) an obscured star formation fraction prescription that is consistent with findings of the ALMA REBELS dusty galaxy survey. It has been successfully tested on well-known UV LFs up to $z=7$. The weak evolution from $z=7$ to $z\approx 14$ of the LF bright-end arises from a conspiracy between a decreasing dust attenuation, making galaxies brighter, that almost exactly compensates for the increasing shortage of their host halos. The model also predicts that galaxies at $z>11$ should contain negligible amounts of dust. We speculate that dust could have been efficiently ejected during the very first phases of galaxy build-up.

6 pages, 4 figures. Analysis of early release JWST data. Comments welcome

References in corpus (28)

• The EAGLE project: Simulating the evolution and assembly of galaxies and their environments
• Introducing the Illustris Project: Simulating the coevolution of dark and visible matter in the Universe
• Simba: Cosmological Simulations with Black Hole Growth and Feedback
• Two Remarkably Luminous Galaxy Candidates at $z\approx 10-12$ Revealed by JWST
• 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
• A Long Time Ago in a Galaxy Far, Far Away: A Candidate z ~ 12 Galaxy in Early JWST CEERS Imaging
• The GLASS James Webb Space Telescope Early Release Science Program. I. Survey Design and Release Plans
• Discovery and properties of ultra-high redshift galaxies ($9<z<12$) in the JWST ERO SMACS 0723 Field
• Revealing Galaxy Candidates out to $z\sim 16$ with JWST Observations of the Lensing Cluster SMACS0723
• The brightest galaxies at Cosmic Dawn
• 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
• The Constant Average Relationship between Dust-obscured Star Formation and Stellar Mass from $z=0$ to $z=2.5$
• Essential physics of early galaxy formation
• The Universe at z>10: Predictions for JWST from the UniverseMachine DR1
• Normal, Dust-Obscured Galaxies in the Epoch of Reionization
• The REBELS ALMA Survey: cosmic dust temperature evolution out to z $\sim$ 7
• The ALMA REBELS Survey: Dust Continuum Detections at z > 6.5
• The ALMA REBELS Survey: the dust content of $z\sim 7$ Lyman Break Galaxies
• The ALMA REBELS Survey. Epoch of Reionization giants: properties of dusty galaxies at $z\approx 7$
• A survey of high-$z$ galaxies: SERRA simulations
• The Obelisk simulation: galaxies contribute more than AGN to HI reionization of protoclusters
• Correcting the z~8 Galaxy Luminosity Function for Gravitational Lensing Magnification Bias
• Early results from GLASS-JWST. XI: Stellar masses and mass-to-light ratio of z>7 galaxies
• Blue Monsters. Why are JWST super-early, massive galaxies so blue?
• The abundance of $z\gtrsim 10$ galaxy candidates in the HUDF using deep JWST NIRCam medium-band imaging
• Early Results from GLASS-JWST. I: Confirmation of Lensed $z⩾7$ Lyman-Break Galaxies Behind the Abell 2744 Cluster With NIRISS
• The Initial Magnetic Field Distribution in AB Stars

Cited by in corpus (99)

• The CosmoVerse White Paper: Addressing observational tensions in cosmology with systematics and fundamental physics
• Efficient Formation of Massive Galaxies at Cosmic Dawn by Feedback-Free Starbursts
• Spectroscopic confirmation of two luminous galaxies at $z\sim 14$
• 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 $\mathbf{z}\simeq 8-10$
• CEERS Spectroscopic Confirmation of NIRCam-Selected z > 8 Galaxy Candidates with JWST/NIRSpec: Initial Characterization of their Properties
• Most of the photons that reionized the Universe came from dwarf galaxies
• Are the ultra-high-redshift galaxies at z > 10 surprising in the context of standard galaxy formation models?
• Stochastic star formation in early galaxies: JWST implications
• The JWST-PRIMAL Legacy Survey. A JWST/NIRSpec reference sample for the physical properties and Lyman-$\alpha$ absorption and emission of $\sim 500$ galaxies at $z=5.5-13.4$
• Dark energy in light of the early JWST observations: case for a negative cosmological constant?
• Feedback-Free Starbursts at Cosmic Dawn: Observable Predictions for JWST
• Spectral Templates Optimal for Selecting Galaxies at z > 8 with JWST
• Reionization after JWST: a photon budget crisis?
• JWST UNCOVER: Discovery of $z>9$ Galaxy Candidates Behind the Lensing Cluster Abell 2744
• Negative cosmological constant in the dark energy sector: tests from JWST photometric and spectroscopic observations of high-redshift galaxies
• Breaking degeneracies in the first galaxies with clustering
• 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
• A double take on early and interacting dark energy from JWST
• The UNCOVER Survey: A First-look HST+JWST Catalog of Galaxy Redshifts and Stellar Population Properties Spanning $0.2\lesssim z\lesssim 15$
• 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
• The impact of an evolving stellar initial mass function on early galaxies and reionisation
• The eventful life of a luminous galaxy at z = 14: metal enrichment, feedback, and low gas fraction?
• JADES: The star-formation and chemical enrichment history of a luminous galaxy at z~9.43 probed by ultra-deep JWST/NIRSpec spectroscopy
• Seven wonders of Cosmic Dawn: JWST confirms a high abundance of galaxies and AGNs at z $\simeq$ 9-11 in the GLASS field
• Dust attenuation evolution in $z\sim 2$-$12$ JWST galaxies
• ASTRODEEP-JWST: NIRCam-HST multiband photometry and redshifts for half a million sources in six extragalactic deep fields
• Quiescent low-mass galaxies observed by JWST in the Epoch of Reionization
• Elevated UV luminosity density at Cosmic Dawn explained by non-evolving, weakly mass-dependent star formation efficiency
• Modeling the JWST high-redshift galaxies with a general formation scenario and the consistency with the $\Lambda$CDM model
• Insight into the Starburst Nature of Galaxy GN-z11 with JWST MIRI Spectroscopy
• Observable and ionizing properties of star-forming galaxies with very massive stars and different IMFs
• Zapped then Napped? A rapidly quenched remnant leaker candidate with a steep spectroscopic ${\beta }_{UV}$ slope at z=8.5
• Redshift-dependent galaxy formation efficiency at $z=5-13$ in the FirstLight simulations
• SPICE: the connection between cosmic reionisation and stellar feedback in the first galaxies
• Density modulated star formation efficiency: implications for the observed abundance of ultra-violet luminous galaxies at z>10
• Violent starbursts and quiescence induced by FUV radiation feedback in metal-poor galaxies at high-redshift
• The evolution of the SFR and Sigma-SFR of galaxies in cosmic morning (4 < z < 10)
• The eventful life of GS-z14-0, the most distant galaxy at redshift $z=14.32$
• Synergising semi-analytical models and hydrodynamical simulations to interpret JWST data from the first billion years
• ALMA Observation of a $z\gtrsim 10$ Galaxy Candidate Discovered with JWST
• The importance of stochasticity in determining galaxy emissivities and UV LFs during cosmic dawn and reionization
• The mass-metallicity relation as a ruler for galaxy evolution: insights from the James Webb Space Telescope
• Compatibility of JWST results with exotic halos
• Can primordial black holes explain the overabundance of bright super-early galaxies?
• Modelling the star-formation activity and ionizing properties of high-redshift galaxies
• Constraints on the early Universe star formation efficiency from galaxy clustering and halo modeling of H$\alpha$ and [O III] emitters
• Primordial magnetic fields: consistent initial conditions and impact on high-z structures
• ALMA observations of super-early galaxies: attenuation-free model predictions
• Witnessing an extreme, highly efficient galaxy formation mode with resolved Ly$\alpha$ and LyC emission
• Tracing the galaxy-halo connection with galaxy clustering in COSMOS-Web from z = 0.1 to z ~ 12
• Quantifying the tension between cosmological models and JWST red candidate massive galaxies
• Pushing JWST to the extremes: search and scrutiny of bright galaxy candidates at z$\simeq$15-30
• ΛCDM is still not broken: empirical constraints on the star formation efficiency at z ~ 12-30
• Beyond the first galaxies primordial black holes shine
• Accelerated quenching and chemical enhancement of massive galaxies in a $z\sim 4$ gas-rich halo
• Influence of early dark matter halos on the primordial black holes merger rate
• The impact of medium-width bands on the selection, and subsequent luminosity function measurements, of high-z galaxies
• The first GLIMPSE of the faint galaxy population at Cosmic Dawn with JWST: The evolution of the ultraviolet luminosity function across z~9-15
• Explanation of high redshift luminous galaxies from JWST by early dark energy model
• Dust in High-Redshift Galaxies: Reconciling UV Attenuation and IR Emission
• Exploring Cosmic Dawn with PANORAMIC I: The Bright End of the UVLF at $z\sim 9-17$
• On the expected purity of photometric galaxy surveys targeting the Cosmic Dawn
• On the Origin of the High Star-Formation Efficiency in Massive Galaxies at 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
• The z = 9.625 Cosmic Gems Galaxy was a "Compact Blue Monster" Propelled by Massive Star Clusters
• Constraining the AGN luminosity function from JWST with the X-ray Background
• Spatially resolved [CII]-gas conversion factor in early galaxies
• Is GN-z11 powered by a super-Eddington massive black hole?
• First upper limits on the 21-cm signal power spectrum of neutral hydrogen at $z=9.16$ from the LOFAR 3C196 field
• RUBIES spectroscopically confirms the high number density of quiescent galaxies from $2<\mathbf{z}<5$
• Probing Reionization-Era Galaxies with JWST UV Luminosity Functions and Large-Scale Clustering
• Possible environmental quenching in an interacting little red dot pair at $z\sim 7$
• 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
• Dust emission from the bulk of galaxies at the Epoch of Reionization
• Investigating cosmic strings using large-volume hydrodynamical simulations in the context of JWST's massive UV-bright galaxies
• Mysteries of Capotauro: investigating the puzzling nature of an extreme F356W-dropout
• Can an Anti-de Sitter Vacuum in the Dark Energy Sector Explain JWST High-Redshift Galaxy and Reionization Observations?
• Matching JWST UV Luminosity Functions with Refined $\Lambda$CDM Halo Models
• Unveiling dust, molecular gas, and high star formation efficiency in extremely UV bright star-forming galaxies at $z\sim 2.1-3.6$
• High-redshift Galaxies from JWST Observations in More Realistic Dark Matter Halo Models
• Radiation-driven dusty outflows from early galaxies
• Amaryllis: a digital twin of the earliest galaxies in the Universe
• Relatively Fast and Reasonably Furious: Evidence for Increased Burstiness in Smaller Halos at Cosmic Dawn
• Ultra High-Redshift or Closer-by, Dust-Obscured Galaxies? Deciphering the Nature of Faint, Previously Missed F200W-Dropouts in CEERS
• MIRI spectrophotometry of GN-z11: Detection and nature of an optical red continuum component
• A High-resolution Far-infrared Survey to Probe Black Hole-Galaxy Co-evolution
• Dark energy, spatial curvature, and star formation efficiency from JWST photometric and spectroscopic high-redshift galaxies
• Do JWST reionization (optical depth) puzzle, cosmological tensions, and CMB anomalies imply Harrison-Zel'dovich spectrum?
• Power-law Emission-line Wings and Radiation-Driven Superwinds in Local Lyman Continuum Emitters
• Lyman-$\alpha$ radiation pressure regulates star formation efficiency
• Supermassive Dark Stars and their remnants as a possible solution to three recent cosmic dawn puzzles
• A physically-motivated template set for high-z galaxy SED fitting
• Direct detection of cool molecular gas in a star-forming galaxy at $z=7.31$
• Euclid: Discovery of bright $z\simeq 7$ Lyman-break galaxies in UltraVISTA and Euclid COSMOS
• The JWST early galaxy crisis resolved by a reionization degeneracy
• Resolving dust and Lyα emission in a lensed galaxy at the epoch of reionization with JWST/CANUCS