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Aims.JWST/NIRCam provides rest-frame near-IR photometry of galaxies up toz = 2.5 with exquisite depth and accuracy. This affords us an unprecedented view of the evolution of the UV/optical/near-IR color distribution and its interpretation in terms of the evolving dust attenuation,AV. Methods.We used the value-added data products (photometric redshift, stellar mass, rest-frameU − VandV − Jcolors, andAV) provided by the public DAWN JWST Archive. These data products derive from fitting the spectral energy distributions obtained from multiple NIRCam imaging surveys, augmented with preexisting HST imaging data. Our sample consists of a stellar-mass-complete sample of ≈28 000M⋆ > 109 M⊙galaxies in the redshift range 0.5 < z < 2.5. Results.TheV − Jcolor distribution of star-forming galaxies evolves strongly, in particular for high-mass galaxies (M⋆ > 3 × 1010 M⊙), which have a pronounced tail of very red galaxies reachingV − J > 2.5 atz > 1.5 that does not exist atz < 1. Such redV − Jcan only be explained by dust attenuation, with typical values forM⋆ ≈ 1011 M⊙galaxies in the rangeAV ≈ 1.5 − 3.5 atz ≈ 2. This redshift evolution went largely unnoticed before. Today, however, photometric redshift estimates for the reddest (V − J > 2.5), most attenuated galaxies have markedly improved thanks to the new, precise photometry, which is in much better agreement with the 25 available spectroscopic redshifts for such galaxies. The reddest population readily stands out as the independently identified population of galaxies detected at submillimeter wavelengths. Despite the increased attenuation,U − Vcolors across the entire mass range are slightly bluer at higherz. A well-defined and tight color sequence exists at redshifts 0.5 < z < 2.5 forM⋆ > 3 × 1010 M⊙quiescent galaxies, in bothU − VandV − J, but inV − Jit is bluer rather than redder compared to star-forming galaxies. In conclusion, whereas the rest-frame UV-optical color distribution evolves remarkably little fromz = 0.5 toz = 2.5, the rest-frame optical/near-IR color distribution evolves strongly, primarily due to a very substantial increase with redshift in dust attenuation for massive galaxies.
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Resolved UV and Optical Color Gradients Reveal Environmental Influence on Galaxy Evolution at Redshift z ∼ 1.6
Abstract The changes in colors across a galaxy are intimately connected to the galaxy’s formation, growth, quenching history, and dust content. A particularly important epoch in the growth of galaxies is nearz∼ 2, often referred to as “cosmic noon,” where galaxies on average reach the peak of their star formation. We study a population of 125 cluster galaxies atz∼ 1.6 in three Hubble Space Telescope filters, F475W, F625W, and F160W, roughly corresponding to the rest-frame far-ultraviolet, near-ultraviolet, andrband, respectively. By comparing to a control sample of 200 field galaxies at similar redshift, we reveal clear, statistically significant differences in the overall spatially resolved colors and color gradients in galaxies across these two different environments. On average, cluster galaxies have redder ultraviolet colors in both the inner and outer regions bounded byr50, as well as an overall wider dispersion of outside-in color gradients. The presence of these observed differences, along with evidence from ancillary data from previous studies, strongly suggests that the environment drives these population-level color differences, by affecting the stellar populations and/or dust content.
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- PAR ID:
- 10552914
- Publisher / Repository:
- DOI PREFIX: 10.3847
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- The Astrophysical Journal
- Volume:
- 975
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 0004-637X
- Format(s):
- Medium: X Size: Article No. 144
- Size(s):
- Article No. 144
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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