Origins of Carbon Dust in a JWST-observed Primeval Galaxy at z ∼ 6.7
JADES-GS-z6-0, a high-redshift galaxy ( z ∼ 6.7) recently observed as part of the James Webb Space Telescope Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey (JADES), exhibits a distinct bump in its rest-frame ultraviolet (UV) spectrum indicative of a large quantity of hydrocarbon grains, a sign of rapid metal a...
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IOP Publishing
2025-01-01
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| Series: | The Astrophysical Journal Letters |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ade2e5 |
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| author | Ambra Nanni Michael Romano Darko Donevski Joris Witstok Irene Shivaei Michel Fioc Prasad Sawant |
| author_facet | Ambra Nanni Michael Romano Darko Donevski Joris Witstok Irene Shivaei Michel Fioc Prasad Sawant |
| author_sort | Ambra Nanni |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | JADES-GS-z6-0, a high-redshift galaxy ( z ∼ 6.7) recently observed as part of the James Webb Space Telescope Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey (JADES), exhibits a distinct bump in its rest-frame ultraviolet (UV) spectrum indicative of a large quantity of hydrocarbon grains, a sign of rapid metal and dust enrichment in its interstellar medium (ISM). This galaxy serves as an ideal case for examining rapid dust formation processes in the early Universe. We investigated diverse dust production channels from a possible maximal formation redshift of z _form ≈ 17, enabling dust contributions from asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars over the longest possible timescale. Our model simultaneously reproduces key spectral features of JADES-GS-z6-0 such as its Balmer decrement, UV slope, and UV bump. The match is obtained by adopting a star formation history in which a burst at ∼600 Myr accounts for approximately 30% of the galaxy’s final stellar mass. Our findings indicate two pathways for the formation of hydrocarbon grains, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs): (1) efficient dust accretion within the ISM, necessitating a low depletion of metals into dust grains from Type II supernovae (≈10%), or (2) dust production predominantly by Type II supernovae, requiring a high depletion fraction (≈73%) without dust accretion. We further demonstrate that PAHs are unlikely to originate solely from AGB stars or from shattering of large grains in the ISM. The evolution of the UV slope with redshift points to a complex and bursty star formation history for galaxies observed by JADES. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e66ef7a71b6845d98a60270e8284d28f |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2041-8205 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
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| series | The Astrophysical Journal Letters |
| spelling | doaj-art-e66ef7a71b6845d98a60270e8284d28f2025-08-20T02:37:17ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal Letters2041-82052025-01-019881L510.3847/2041-8213/ade2e5Origins of Carbon Dust in a JWST-observed Primeval Galaxy at z ∼ 6.7Ambra Nanni0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6652-1069Michael Romano1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9948-3916Darko Donevski2https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5341-2162Joris Witstok3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7595-121XIrene Shivaei4https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4702-7561Michel Fioc5https://orcid.org/0009-0006-4501-693XPrasad Sawant6https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0498-8074National Centre for Nuclear Research , ul. Pasteura 7, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland ; ambra.nanni@ncbj.gov.pl; INAF—Osservatorio Astronomico d’Abruzzo , Via Maggini SNC, 64100 Teramo, ItalyNational Centre for Nuclear Research , ul. Pasteura 7, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland ; ambra.nanni@ncbj.gov.pl; Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie , Auf dem Hügel 69, 53121 Bonn, Germany; INAF—Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova , Vicolo dell’Osservatorio 5, I-35122 Padova, ItalyNational Centre for Nuclear Research , ul. Pasteura 7, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland ; ambra.nanni@ncbj.gov.pl; SISSA , Via Bonomea 265, 34136 Trieste, ItalyCosmic Dawn Center (DAWN) , Copenhagen, Denmark; Niels Bohr Institute , University of Copenhagen, Jagtvej 128, DK-2200 Copenhagen, DenmarkCentro de Astrobiología (CAB) , CSIC-INTA, Carretera de Ajalvir km 4, Torrejón de Ardoz, 28850 Madrid, SpainSorbonne Université , CNRS, UMR 7095, Institut d’astrophysique de Paris, 98 bis boulevard Arago, 75014 Paris, FranceNational Centre for Nuclear Research , ul. Pasteura 7, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland ; ambra.nanni@ncbj.gov.plJADES-GS-z6-0, a high-redshift galaxy ( z ∼ 6.7) recently observed as part of the James Webb Space Telescope Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey (JADES), exhibits a distinct bump in its rest-frame ultraviolet (UV) spectrum indicative of a large quantity of hydrocarbon grains, a sign of rapid metal and dust enrichment in its interstellar medium (ISM). This galaxy serves as an ideal case for examining rapid dust formation processes in the early Universe. We investigated diverse dust production channels from a possible maximal formation redshift of z _form ≈ 17, enabling dust contributions from asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars over the longest possible timescale. Our model simultaneously reproduces key spectral features of JADES-GS-z6-0 such as its Balmer decrement, UV slope, and UV bump. The match is obtained by adopting a star formation history in which a burst at ∼600 Myr accounts for approximately 30% of the galaxy’s final stellar mass. Our findings indicate two pathways for the formation of hydrocarbon grains, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs): (1) efficient dust accretion within the ISM, necessitating a low depletion of metals into dust grains from Type II supernovae (≈10%), or (2) dust production predominantly by Type II supernovae, requiring a high depletion fraction (≈73%) without dust accretion. We further demonstrate that PAHs are unlikely to originate solely from AGB stars or from shattering of large grains in the ISM. The evolution of the UV slope with redshift points to a complex and bursty star formation history for galaxies observed by JADES.https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ade2e5High-redshift galaxiesDust formationTheoretical models |
| spellingShingle | Ambra Nanni Michael Romano Darko Donevski Joris Witstok Irene Shivaei Michel Fioc Prasad Sawant Origins of Carbon Dust in a JWST-observed Primeval Galaxy at z ∼ 6.7 The Astrophysical Journal Letters High-redshift galaxies Dust formation Theoretical models |
| title | Origins of Carbon Dust in a JWST-observed Primeval Galaxy at z ∼ 6.7 |
| title_full | Origins of Carbon Dust in a JWST-observed Primeval Galaxy at z ∼ 6.7 |
| title_fullStr | Origins of Carbon Dust in a JWST-observed Primeval Galaxy at z ∼ 6.7 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Origins of Carbon Dust in a JWST-observed Primeval Galaxy at z ∼ 6.7 |
| title_short | Origins of Carbon Dust in a JWST-observed Primeval Galaxy at z ∼ 6.7 |
| title_sort | origins of carbon dust in a jwst observed primeval galaxy at z ∼ 6 7 |
| topic | High-redshift galaxies Dust formation Theoretical models |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ade2e5 |
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