TY - JOUR

T1 - RELICS

T2 - Small-scale Star Formation in Lensed Galaxies at z=6-10

AU - Welch, Brian

AU - Coe, Dan

AU - Zitrin, Adi

AU - Diego, Jose M. M.

AU - Windhorst, Rogier

AU - Mandelker, Nir

AU - Vanzella, Eros

AU - Ravindranath, Swara

AU - Zackrisson, Erik

AU - Florian, Michael

AU - Bradley, Larry

AU - Sharon, Keren

AU - Bradac, Marusa

AU - Rigby, Jane

AU - Frye, Brenda

AU - Fujimoto, Seiji

PY - 2023/1/1

Y1 - 2023/1/1

N2 - Detailed observations of star-forming galaxies at high redshift are critical to understanding the formation and evolution of the earliest galaxies. Gravitational lensing provides an important boost, allowing observations at physical scales unreachable in unlensed galaxies. We present three lensed galaxies from the RELICS survey at z (phot) = 6-10, including the most highly magnified galaxy at z (phot) similar to 6 (WHL 0137-zD1, dubbed the Sunrise Arc), the brightest known lensed galaxy at z (phot) similar to 6 (MACS 0308-zD1), and the only spatially resolved galaxy currently known at z (phot) similar to 10 (SPT 0615-JD). The Sunrise Arc contains seven star-forming clumps with delensed radii as small as 3 pc, the smallest spatial scales yet observed in a z > 6 galaxy, while SPT 0615-JD contains features measuring a few tens of parsecs. MACS 0308-zD1 contains an r similar to 30 pc clump with a star formation rate (SFR) of similar to 3 M (circle dot) yr(-1), giving it an SFR surface density of sigma(SFR) similar to 10(3) M (circle dot) yr(-1) kpc(-2). These galaxies provide a unique window into small-scale star formation during the epoch of reionization. They will be excellent targets for future observations with JWST, including one approved program targeting the Sunrise Arc.

AB - Detailed observations of star-forming galaxies at high redshift are critical to understanding the formation and evolution of the earliest galaxies. Gravitational lensing provides an important boost, allowing observations at physical scales unreachable in unlensed galaxies. We present three lensed galaxies from the RELICS survey at z (phot) = 6-10, including the most highly magnified galaxy at z (phot) similar to 6 (WHL 0137-zD1, dubbed the Sunrise Arc), the brightest known lensed galaxy at z (phot) similar to 6 (MACS 0308-zD1), and the only spatially resolved galaxy currently known at z (phot) similar to 10 (SPT 0615-JD). The Sunrise Arc contains seven star-forming clumps with delensed radii as small as 3 pc, the smallest spatial scales yet observed in a z > 6 galaxy, while SPT 0615-JD contains features measuring a few tens of parsecs. MACS 0308-zD1 contains an r similar to 30 pc clump with a star formation rate (SFR) of similar to 3 M (circle dot) yr(-1), giving it an SFR surface density of sigma(SFR) similar to 10(3) M (circle dot) yr(-1) kpc(-2). These galaxies provide a unique window into small-scale star formation during the epoch of reionization. They will be excellent targets for future observations with JWST, including one approved program targeting the Sunrise Arc.

KW - STRONG-LENSING ANALYSIS

KW - ULTRA DEEP FIELD

KW - HIGH-REDSHIFT

KW - GIANT CLUMPS

KW - RESOLVED SPECTROSCOPY

KW - STELLAR POPULATIONS

KW - GLOBULAR-CLUSTERS

KW - FORMING CLUMPS

KW - MASS

KW - EVOLUTION

U2 - 10.3847/1538-4357/aca8a8

DO - 10.3847/1538-4357/aca8a8

M3 - Journal article

VL - 943

JO - Astrophysical Journal

JF - Astrophysical Journal

SN - 0004-637X

IS - 1

M1 - 2

ER -