PRISMS. GHZ1. A standard tale of galaxy evolution with atypical ionizing conditions at z=9.878
astro-ph.GA
Submitted: 2026-09-13
Updated: 2026-09-13
Comments: 23 pages, 19 figures. Submitted to A&A
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
The gist: [Abridged] The first operating years of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have revealed a surprising number of z 10 UV-bright objects, many of them characterized by their compactness, anomalous
Terminology
Abstract
[Abridged] The first operating years of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have revealed a surprising number of z 10 UV-bright objects, many of them characterized by their compactness, anomalous chemical abundance patterns and complex ISM physics (e.g. N-enhanced systems). To assess whether these objects are a phase of early galaxy evolution or a peculiar population, it is essential to understand the physics of systems without anomalous abundance patterns in this epoch. We present a detailed analysis of GHZ1 (z=9.878), a moderately (μ= 1.715) lensed UV-bright (M UV = -20.07) galaxy in the Abell2744 field, characterized by an extended size (R e about 410 pc). These properties, which contrast with the properties of many of the N-enhanced galaxies, make GHZ1 an excellent laboratory to assess what are the major drivers of early galaxy evolution and the origin of the differences. By means of JWST spectroscopic observations from NIRSpec (PRISM-CLEAR configuration) and the MIR/LRS, we analyzed the full UV and optical emission from GHZ1. We used a spectro-photometric SED fitting to characterize the stellar evolution and the emission line spectra to constrain its chemical enrichment. We find that GHZ1 is among the most massive systems at z about 10 (log(M [M]) = 9.17-0.26+0.27), with a moderate amount of dust attenuation (A V = 0.21-0.12+0.12 mag) and ongoing star formation (with a median SFR = 8.75-1.72+1.71 M times yr-1 over the last 10 Myr). Its chemical enrichment patterns (12+log(O/H) = 7.81-0.11+0.12, log(C/O) = -0.66-0.13+0.13, log(N/O) < -1.04) are consistent with a standard evolution dominated by primary production from massive stars. We also derive an H α /H β Balmer ratio below Case B predictions. We speculate that [...].
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