Early Results from GLASS-JWST. XXV. Electron Density in the Interstellar Medium at 0.7 ≲ z ≲ 9.3 with NIRSpec High-resolution Spectroscopy

Early Results from GLASS-JWST. XXV. Electron Density in the Interstellar Medium at 0.7 ≲ z ≲ 9.3 with NIRSpec High-resolution Spectroscopy

The electron density ( n _e ) of the interstellar medium (ISM) in star-forming galaxies is intimately linked to star formation and ionization condition. Using the high-resolution spectra obtained from the JWST Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) microshutter assembly (MSA) as part of the GLASS-JWST...

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Main Authors: Sijia Li, Xin Wang, Yuguang Chen, Tucker Jones, Tommaso Treu, Karl Glazebrook, Xianlong He, Alaina Henry, Xiao-Lei Meng, Takahiro Morishita, Guido Roberts-Borsani, Lilan Yang, Hao-Ran Yu, Antonello Calabrò, Marco Castellano, Nicha Leethochawalit, Benjamin Metha, Themiya Nanayakkara, Namrata Roy, Benedetta Vulcani
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IOP Publishing 2025-01-01
Series:The Astrophysical Journal Letters
Subjects:
Galaxy formation
Galaxy evolution
Interstellar medium
Star formation
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ad9eac
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Summary:The electron density ( n _e ) of the interstellar medium (ISM) in star-forming galaxies is intimately linked to star formation and ionization condition. Using the high-resolution spectra obtained from the JWST Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) microshutter assembly (MSA) as part of the GLASS-JWST program, we have assembled the largest sample to date (34 galaxies) with individual n _e measurements derived from the [O ii ] λλ 3726, 29 and/or [S ii ] λλ 6718, 32 doublets at 0.7 ≲  z  ≲ 9.3. The gravitational lensing magnification by the foreground A2744 cluster allows us to probe n _e in galaxies with stellar masses ( M _* ) down to ≃10 ^7.5 M _⊙ across the entire redshift range. Our analysis reveals that the [O ii ] flux ratios are marginally anticorrelated with a specific star formation rate (sSFR) within a 1 σ confidence interval, whereas the [S ii ] flux ratios show no significant correlation with sSFR. Despite a clear correlation between sSFR and redshift within our sample, we find no apparent redshift evolution of n _e at z  ≃ 1–9. Our data set also includes 13 galaxies where n _e can be measured from both [O ii ] and [S ii ]. Contrary to findings at lower redshifts, we observe considerable scatter in n _e measurements from [O ii ] and [S ii ], indicating a complex gaseous environment with significant variations in n _e in high-redshift galaxies. This work highlights the unique capability of JWST NIRSpec/MSA high-resolution spectroscopy to characterize the detailed physical properties of the ISM in individual high-redshift galaxies.
ISSN:2041-8205

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