Early JWST Imaging Reveals Strong Optical and NIR Color Gradients in Galaxies at z similar to 2 Driven Mostly by Dust
Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskrift › Letter › Forskning › fagfællebedømt
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Early JWST Imaging Reveals Strong Optical and NIR Color Gradients in Galaxies at z similar to 2 Driven Mostly by Dust. / Miller, Tim B.; Whitaker, Katherine E.; Nelson, Erica J.; van Dokkum, Pieter; Bezanson, Rachel; Brammer, Gabriel; Heintz, Kasper E.; Leja, Joel; Suess, Katherine A.; Weaver, John R.
I: Astrophysical Journal Letters, Bind 941, Nr. 2, 37, 01.12.2022.Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskrift › Letter › Forskning › fagfællebedømt
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Early JWST Imaging Reveals Strong Optical and NIR Color Gradients in Galaxies at z similar to 2 Driven Mostly by Dust
AU - Miller, Tim B.
AU - Whitaker, Katherine E.
AU - Nelson, Erica J.
AU - van Dokkum, Pieter
AU - Bezanson, Rachel
AU - Brammer, Gabriel
AU - Heintz, Kasper E.
AU - Leja, Joel
AU - Suess, Katherine A.
AU - Weaver, John R.
PY - 2022/12/1
Y1 - 2022/12/1
N2 - Recent studies have shown that galaxies at cosmic noon are redder in the center and bluer in the outskirts, mirroring results in the local universe. These color gradients could be caused by gradients in either the stellar age or dust opacity; however, distinguishing between these two causes is impossible with rest-frame optical photometry alone. Here we investigate the underlying causes of the gradients from spatially resolved rest-frame U - V versus V - J color-color diagrams measured from early observations with the James Webb Space Telescope. We use 1-4 mu m NIRCam photometry from the CEERS survey of a sample of 54 galaxies with log M-* /M-circle dot > 10 at redshifts 1.7 < z < 2.3 selected from the 3D-HST catalog. We model the light profiles in the F115W, F200W, and F356W NIRCam bands using imcascade, a Bayesian implementation of the multi-Gaussian expansion technique that flexibly represents galaxy profiles using a series of Gaussians. We construct resolved rest-frame U - V and V - J color profiles. The majority of star-forming galaxies have negative gradients (i.e., redder in the center, bluer in the outskirts) in both U - V and V - J colors consistent with radially decreasing dust attenuation. A smaller population (roughly 15%) of star-forming galaxies have positive U - V but negative V - J gradients implying centrally concentrated star formation. For quiescent galaxies, we find a diversity of UVJ color profiles, with roughly one-third showing star formation in their center. This study showcases the potential of JWST to study the resolved stellar populations of galaxies at cosmic noon.
AB - Recent studies have shown that galaxies at cosmic noon are redder in the center and bluer in the outskirts, mirroring results in the local universe. These color gradients could be caused by gradients in either the stellar age or dust opacity; however, distinguishing between these two causes is impossible with rest-frame optical photometry alone. Here we investigate the underlying causes of the gradients from spatially resolved rest-frame U - V versus V - J color-color diagrams measured from early observations with the James Webb Space Telescope. We use 1-4 mu m NIRCam photometry from the CEERS survey of a sample of 54 galaxies with log M-* /M-circle dot > 10 at redshifts 1.7 < z < 2.3 selected from the 3D-HST catalog. We model the light profiles in the F115W, F200W, and F356W NIRCam bands using imcascade, a Bayesian implementation of the multi-Gaussian expansion technique that flexibly represents galaxy profiles using a series of Gaussians. We construct resolved rest-frame U - V and V - J color profiles. The majority of star-forming galaxies have negative gradients (i.e., redder in the center, bluer in the outskirts) in both U - V and V - J colors consistent with radially decreasing dust attenuation. A smaller population (roughly 15%) of star-forming galaxies have positive U - V but negative V - J gradients implying centrally concentrated star formation. For quiescent galaxies, we find a diversity of UVJ color profiles, with roughly one-third showing star formation in their center. This study showcases the potential of JWST to study the resolved stellar populations of galaxies at cosmic noon.
KW - SURFACE PHOTOMETRY
KW - STAR-FORMATION
KW - STELLAR
KW - SEQUENCE
KW - ATTENUATION
KW - PROFILES
U2 - 10.3847/2041-8213/aca675
DO - 10.3847/2041-8213/aca675
M3 - Letter
VL - 941
JO - The Astrophysical Journal Letters
JF - The Astrophysical Journal Letters
SN - 2041-8205
IS - 2
M1 - 37
ER -
ID: 333036466