First Sample of H$\alpha$+[O III] $\lambda$5007 Line Emitters at $z>6$ Through JWST/NIRCam Slitless Spectroscopy: Physical Properties and Line Luminosity Functions

Abstract

We present a sample of four emission-line galaxies at $z=6.11-6.35$ that were serendipitously discovered using the commissioning data for the JWST/NIRCam wide-field slitless spectroscopy (WFSS) mode. One of them (at $z=6.11$) has been reported previously while the others are new discoveries. These sources are selected by the secure detections of both [O III] $\lambda$5007 and H$\alpha$ lines with other fainter lines tentatively detected in some cases (e.g., [O II] $\lambda$3727, [O III] $\lambda$4959). In the [O III]/H$\beta$ - [N II]/H$\alpha$ Baldwin-Phillips-Terlevich diagram, these galaxies occupy the same parameter space as that of $z\sim 2$ star-forming galaxies, indicating that they have been enriched rapidly to sub-solar metallicities ($\sim$0.4 $Z_{\odot }$), similar to galaxies with comparable stellar masses at much lower redshifts. The detection of strong H$\alpha$ lines suggests a higher ionizing photon production efficiency within galaxies in the early Universe. We find brightening of the [O III] $\lambda$5007 line luminosity function (LF) from $z=3$ to 6, and weak or no redshift evolution of the H$\alpha$ line LF from $z=2$ to 6. Both LFs are under-predicted at $z\sim 6$ by a factor of $\sim$10 in certain cosmological simulations. This further indicates a global Ly$\alpha$ photon escape fraction of 7-10% at $z\sim 6$, slightly lower than previous estimates through the comparison of the UV-derived star-formation rate density and Ly$\alpha$ luminosity density. Our sample recovers $66_{-44}^{+128}$% of $z=6.0-6.6$ galaxies in the survey volume with stellar masses greater than $5\times 10^8$ $M_{\odot }$, suggesting the ubiquity of strong H$\alpha$ and [O III] line emitters in the Epoch of Reionization, which will be further uncovered in the era of JWST.

arXiv comment26 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ on May 11, 2023

References in corpus (129)

• Stellar population synthesis at the resolution of 2003
• Galactic Stellar and Substellar Initial Mass Function
• Gaia Data Release 2. Summary of the contents and survey properties
• The Astropy Project: Building an inclusive, open-science project and status of the v2.0 core package
• The Dust Content and Opacity of Actively Star-Forming Galaxies
• The Seventh Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey
• The Host Galaxies of AGN
• Cosmic Star Formation History
• The physical properties of star forming galaxies in the low redshift universe
• Star Formation in the Milky Way and Nearby Galaxies
• Theoretical Modeling of Starburst Galaxies
• Stellar Masses and Star Formation Histories for 10^5 Galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey
• CIGALE: a python Code Investigating GALaxy Emission
• A Quantitative Comparison of SMC, LMC, and Milky Way UV to NIR Extinction Curves
• Strong Nebular Line Ratios in the Spectra of z~2-3 Star-forming Galaxies: First Results from KBSS-MOSFIRE
• The James Webb Space Telescope Mission
• Keck Spectroscopy of 3<z<7 Faint Lyman Break Galaxies: The Importance of Nebular Emission in Understanding the Specific Star Formation Rate and Stellar Mass Density
• Theoretical Evolution of Optical Strong Lines across Cosmic Time
• The MOSFIRE Deep Evolution Field (MOSDEF) Survey: Rest-Frame Optical Spectroscopy for ~1500 H-Selected Galaxies at 1.37 < z < 3.8
• The Science Performance of JWST as Characterized in Commissioning
• 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
• Reconciling the Stellar and Nebular Spectra of High Redshift Galaxies
• H-alpha Observations of a Large Sample of Galaxies at z~2: Implications for Star Formation in High Redshift Galaxies
• The Mass-Metallicity and the Fundamental Metallicity Relation revisited on a fully Te-based abundance scale for galaxies
• NIRCam Performance on JWST In Flight
• A large Hα survey at z=2.23, 1.47, 0.84 & 0.40: the 11 Gyr evolution of star-forming galaxies from HiZELS
• Lyman-alpha and CIII] Emission in z=7-9 Galaxies: Accelerated Reionization Around Luminous Star Forming Systems?
• Spectral and Photometric Evolution of Young Stellar Populations: the Impact of Gaseous Emission at Various Metallicities
• The Evolution of the Galaxy Stellar Mass Function at z= 4-8: A Steepening Low-mass-end Slope with Increasing Redshift
• 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
• Evidence for Ubiquitous, High-EW Nebular Emission in z~7 Galaxies: Towards a Clean Measurement of the Specific Star Formation Rate using a Sample of Bright, Magnified Galaxies
• Rapid Reionization by the Oligarchs: The Case for Massive, UV-Bright, Star-Forming Galaxies with High Escape Fractions
• The Spectral Energy Distributions Of z~8 Galaxies From The IRAC Ultra Deep Fields: Emission Lines, Stellar Masses, And Specific Star Formation Rates At 650 Myr
• The chemical enrichment in the early Universe as probed by JWST via direct metallicity measurements at z~8
• The MOSDEF Survey: The Evolution of the Mass-Metallicity Relation from $z=0$ to $z\sim 3.3$
• The impact of nebular emission on the ages of z~6 galaxies
• On the redshift-evolution of the Lyman-alpha escape fraction and the dust content of galaxies
• Nebular Emission Line Ratios in z~2-3 Star-Forming Galaxies with KBSS-MOSFIRE: Exploring the Impact of Ionization, Excitation, and Nitrogen-to-Oxygen Ratio
• Spectroscopic detection of CIV in a galaxy at z=7.045: Implications for the ionizing spectra of reionization-era galaxies
• A redshift-independent efficiency model: star formation and stellar masses in dark matter halos at z>4
• Ly$\alpha$ emission from Green Peas: the role of circumgalactic gas density, covering, and kinematics
• The JWST Early Release Observations
• The MOSDEF Survey: Excitation Properties of $z\sim 2.3$ Star-forming Galaxies
• Stellar velocity dispersions and emission line properties of SDSS-III/BOSS galaxies
• Galaxy Formation and Reionization: Key Unknowns and Expected Breakthroughs by the James Webb Space Telescope
• Z > 7 galaxies with red Spitzer/IRAC [3.6]-[4.5] colors in the full CANDELS data set: the brightest-known galaxies at Z ~ 7-9 and a probable spectroscopic confirmation at Z=7.48
• Stellar masses of SDSS-III BOSS galaxies at z~0.5 and constraints to galaxy formation models
• Detection of the Far-infrared [O III] and Dust Emission in a Galaxy at Redshift 8.312: Early Metal Enrichment in the Heart of the Reionization Era
• The evolution of the mass-metallicity relation in IllustrisTNG
• The Lyman-Continuum Photon Production Efficiency xi_{ion} of z~4-5 Galaxies from IRAC-based Halpha Measurements: Implications for the Escape Fraction and Cosmic Reionization
• Physical Properties of Emission-Line Galaxies at z ~ 2 from Near-Infrared Spectroscopy with Magellan FIRE
• Observations of the Lyman-$\alpha$ Universe
• The Luminosity Function and Star Formation Rate between Redshifts of 0.07 and 1.47 for Narrow-band Emitters in the Subaru Deep Field
• HiZELS: a high redshift survey of H-alpha emitters. I: the cosmic star-formation rate and clustering at z=2.23
• Escape of about five per cent of Lyman-alpha photons from high-redshift star-forming galaxies
• The Evolution of the IR Luminosity Function and Dust-obscured Star Formation in the Last 13 Billion Years
• First look with JWST spectroscopy: $z\sim 8$ galaxies resemble local analogues
• Quantifying cosmic variance
• High-precision Photometric Redshifts from Spitzer/IRAC: Extreme [3.6]-[4.5] Colors Identify Galaxies in the Redshift Range z~6.6-6.9
• The JWST Extragalactic Mock Catalog: Modeling galaxy populations from the UV through the near-IR over thirteen billion years of cosmic history
• MMT/MMIRS spectroscopy of $z=1.3-2.4$ extreme [OIII] emitters: Implications for galaxies in the reionization-era
• The stellar mass function of star-forming galaxies and the mass-dependent SFR function since z=2.23 from HiZELS
• 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
• EIGER II. first spectroscopic characterisation of the young stars and ionised gas associated with strong H$\beta$ and [OIII] line-emission in galaxies at z=5-7 with JWST
• z~4 Halpha Emitters in GOODS : Tracing the Dominant Mode for Growth of Galaxies
• The [OIII]$+$H$\beta$ Equivalent Width Distribution at z$\simeq$7: Implications for the Contribution of Galaxies to Reionization
• The ALMA Spectroscopic Survey Large Program: The Infrared Excess of z=1.5-10 UV-selected Galaxies and the Implied High-Redshift Star Formation History
• Evolution of the galaxy stellar mass functions and UV luminosity functions at $z=6-9$ in the Hubble Frontier Fields
• "Direct" Gas-Phase Metallicity in Local Analogs of High-Redshift Galaxies: Empirical Metallicity Calibrations for High-Redshift Star-Forming Galaxies
• The Bright End of the z~9 and z~10 UV Luminosity Functions using all five CANDELS Fields
• The MOSDEF Survey: Direct Observational Constraints on the Ionizing Photon Production Efficiency, ${\xi }_{\mathrm{ion}}$, at z~2
• The MOSDEF Survey: Significant Evolution in the Rest-Frame Optical Emission Line Equivalent Widths of Star-Forming Galaxies at z=1.4-3.8
• JWST NIRCam+NIRSpec: Interstellar medium and stellar populations of young galaxies with rising star formation and evolving gas reservoirs
• The production and escape of Lyman-Continuum radiation from star-forming galaxies at z~2 and their redshift evolution
• The GREATS H$\beta$+[OIII] Luminosity Function and Galaxy Properties at $\mathbf{z}\sim 8$: Walking the Way of JWST
• A First Look at the Abundance Pattern -- O/H, C/O, and Ne/O -- in $z>7$ Galaxies with JWST/NIRSpec
• The ALMA REBELS Survey: Dust Continuum Detections at z > 6.5
• The Physical Conditions of Emission-Line Galaxies at Cosmic Dawn from JWST/NIRSpec Spectroscopy in the SMACS 0723 Early Release Observations
• SILVERRUSH. V. Census of Lya, [OIII]5007, Ha, and [CII]158um Line Emission with ~1000 LAEs at z=4.9-7.0 Revealed with Subaru/HSC
• A Coherent Study of Emission Lines from Broad-Band Photometry: Specific Star-Formation Rates and [OIII]/Hβ Ratio at 3 < z < 6
• Bright and Faint Ends of Ly$\alpha$ Luminosity Functions at $\text{z}=2$ Determined by the Subaru Survey: Implications for AGN, Magnification Bias, and ISM HI Evolution
• Halpha Equivalent Widths from the 3D-HST survey: evolution with redshift and dependence on stellar mass
• Evolution of the H$\beta$+[OIII] and [OII] luminosity functions and the [OII] star-formation history of the Universe up to $z$ ~ 5 from HiZELS
• Low-Redshift Ly-alpha Selected Galaxies from GALEX Spectroscopy: A Comparison with Both UV-Continuum Selected Galaxies and High-Redshift Ly-alpha Emitters
• The CALYMHA survey: Lya luminosity function and global escape fraction of Lya photons at z=2.23
• A Hard Ionizing Spectrum in z=3-4 Ly-alpha Emitters with Intense [OIII] Emission: Analogs of Galaxies in the Reionization Era?
• The ALMA REBELS Survey: The Dust-obscured Cosmic Star Formation Rate Density at Redshift 7
• Spitzer and Hubble Constraints on the Physical Properties of the z~7 Galaxy Strongly Lensed by Abell 2218
• The Recent Burstiness of Star Formation in Galaxies at z~4.5 from H$\alpha$ Measurements
• The evolution of the equivalent width of the Ha emission line and specific star-formation rate in star-forming galaxies at 1<z<5
• A first look at the SMACS0723 JWST ERO: spectroscopic redshifts, stellar masses and star-formation histories
• Inferred Hα Flux as a Star-Formation Rate Indicator at z ~ 4-5: Implications for Dust Properties, Burstiness, and the z = 4-8 Star-Formation-Rate Functions
• Lyman alpha emitting galaxies at 0.2 < z < 0.35 from GALEX spectroscopy
• JWST Noise Floor I: Random Error Sources in JWST NIRCam Time Series
• Star Formation, Metallicity and Dust Properties Derived from the SAPM Galaxy Survey Spectra
• Finding Peas in the Early Universe with JWST
• MMT Spectroscopy of Lyman-alpha at z$\simeq$7: Evidence for Accelerated Reionization Around Massive Galaxies
• The MOSDEF-LRIS Survey: The Interplay Between Massive Stars and Ionized Gas in High-Redshift Star-Forming Galaxies
• First Insights into the ISM at $z>8$ with JWST: Possible Physical Implications of a High [O III]$\lambda 4363$/[O III]$\lambda 5007$
• The Star Formation Burstiness and Ionizing Efficiency of Low-mass Galaxies
• High-z galaxies with JWST and local analogues -- it is not only star formation
• Mapping Obscuration to Reionization with ALMA (MORA): 2mm Efficiently Selects the Highest-Redshift Obscured Galaxies
• Early Low-Mass Galaxies and Star-Cluster Candidates at z~6-9 Identified by the Gravitational Lensing Technique and Deep Optical/Near-Infrared Imaging
• Evolution of N/O Abundance Ratios and Ionization Parameters from z~0 to 2 Investigated by the Direct Temperature Method
• (Re)Solving Reionization with Lyα: How Bright Lyα Emitters account for the $z\approx 2-8$ Cosmic Ionizing Background
• The H-alpha luminosity function at redshift 2.2: A new determination using VLT/HAWK-I
• The mean H$\alpha$ EW and Lyman-continuum photon production efficiency for faint $z\approx 4-5$ galaxies
• Significant Dust-Obscured Star Formation in Luminous Lyman-break Galaxies at $z$$\sim$$7$$-$$8$
• The MOSDEF-LRIS Survey: The Connection Between Massive Stars and Ionized Gas in Individual Galaxies at $z\sim 2$
• The Mass-Metallicity Relation at z=8: Direct-Method Metallicity Constraints and Near-Future Prospects
• Mean Halpha+[NII]+[SII] EW Inferred for Star-Forming Galaxies at z=5.1-5.4 Using High-Quality Spitzer/IRAC Photometry
• A Dual Narrowband Survey for Hα Emitters at z=2.2: Demonstration of the Technique and Constraints on the Hα Luminosity Function
• High Equivalent Width of Hα+[N II] Emission in z~8 Lyman-break Galaxies from IRAC 5.8μm Observations: Evidence for Efficient Lyman-continuum Photon production in the Epoch of Re-ionization
• High redshift JWST predictions from IllustrisTNG: II. Galaxy line and continuum spectral indices and dust attenuation curves
• The Ionizing Photon Production Efficiency (${\xi }_{ion}$) Of Lensed Dwarf Galaxies At $z\sim 2$
• Cosmic Star Formation Activity at z=2.2 Probed by H-alpha Emission Line Galaxies
• First Peek with JWST/NIRCam Wide-Field Slitless Spectroscopy: Serendipitous Discovery of a Strong [O III]/H$\alpha$ Emitter at $z=6.11$
• ALMA Lensing Cluster Survey: ALMA-Herschel Joint Study of Lensed Dusty Star-Forming Galaxies across $z\simeq 0.5-6$
• Inferring gas-phase metallicity gradients of galaxies at the seeing limit: A forward modelling approach
• The Number Density Evolution of Extreme Emission Line Galaxies in 3D-HST: Results from a Novel Automated Line Search Technique for Slitless Spectroscopy
• Seeing sharper and deeper: JWST's first glimpse of the photometric and spectroscopic properties of galaxies in the epoch of reionisation
• An Hα Impression of Lyα Galaxies at $z\simeq 6$ with Deep JWST/NIRCam Imaging
• Early results from GLASS-JWST. VI: Extreme rest-optical equivalent widths detected in NIRISS Wide Field Slitless Spectroscopy
• Reconstructing the observed ionizing photon production efficiency at z~2 using stellar population models
• What drives the scatter of local star-forming galaxies in the BPT diagrams? A Machine Learning based analysis
• First Light And Reionisation Epoch Simulations (FLARES) XI: [OIII] emitting galaxies at $5<z<10$
• Abundant Serendipitous Emission Line Sources with JWST/NIRSpec
• FirstLight IV: Diversity in sub-L${}_{\ast }$ galaxies at cosmic dawn

Cited by in corpus (23)

• JADES: Probing interstellar medium conditions at $z\sim 5.5-9.5$ with ultra-deep JWST/NIRSpec spectroscopy
• Most of the photons that reionized the Universe came from dwarf galaxies
• JADES: Discovery of extremely high equivalent width Lyman-alpha emission from a faint galaxy within an ionized bubble at z=7.3
• The JWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey: Discovery of an Extreme Galaxy Overdensity at $z=5.4$ with JWST/NIRCam in GOODS-S
• Deciphering Lyman-$\alpha$ Emission Deep into the Epoch of Reionisation
• Identification of High-Redshift Galaxy Overdensities in GOODS-N and GOODS-S
• JADES: Primaeval Lyman-$\alpha$ emitting galaxies reveal early sites of reionisation out to redshift $z\sim 9$
• GA-NIFS: High number of dual active galactic nuclei at z~3
• An Hα view of galaxy build-up in the first 2 Gyr: luminosity functions at z~4-6.5 from NIRCam/grism spectroscopy
• CECILIA: The Faint Emission Line Spectrum of z~2-3 Star-forming Galaxies
• No evidence for a significant evolution of $M_{\bullet }$-$M_{\ast }$ relation in massive galaxies up to z$\sim$4
• The dawn of disks: unveiling the turbulent ionised gas kinematics of the galaxy population at $z\sim 4-6$ with JWST/NIRCam grism spectroscopy
• A big red dot at cosmic noon
• JWST/NIRCam Narrowband Survey of Pa$\beta$ Emitters in the Spiderweb Protocluster at z=2.16
• A SPectroscopic survey of biased halos In the Reionization Era (ASPIRE): JWST Discovers an Overdensity around a Metal Absorption-selected Galaxy at $z\sim 5.5$
• Importance of modelling the nebular continuum in galaxy spectra
• The dark side of early galaxies: $\text{geko}$ uncovers dark-matter fractions at $z\sim 4-6$
• Beyond the stars: Linking H$\alpha$ sizes, kinematics, and star formation in galaxies at $z\approx 4-6$ with JWST grism surveys and $\text{geko}$
• Extreme Neutral Outflow in a non-AGN Quiescent Galaxy at z~1.3
• Spatially resolved H$\alpha$ emission in B14-65666: compact starbursts, ionizing efficiency and gas kinematics in an advanced merger at the Epoch of Reionization
• Investigating silicate, carbon, and water in the diffuse interstellar medium: the first shots from WISCI
• Extreme Emission-Line Galaxies in the MUSE Hubble Ultra Deep Field Survey
• Possible photometric signatures of nebular-dominated emission in $1.5<z<8.5$ JADES galaxies