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Abstract Early JWST photometric studies discovered a population of UV-faint ( $<{\mathit{L}}_{\mathrm{UV}}^{*}$)z ∼ 6.5–8 Lyman break galaxies with spectral energy distributions implying young ages (∼10 Myr) yet relatively weak Hβ+ [Oiii] equivalent widths (EW_{Hβ+ [Oiii]} ≈ 400 Å). These galaxies seemingly contradict the implicit understanding that young star-forming galaxies are ubiquitously strong Hβ+ [Oiii] emitters, i.e., extreme emission line galaxies (EW ≳750 Å). Low metallicities, high Lyman continuum escape fractions, and rapidly declining star formation histories have been proposed as primary drivers behind low Hβ+ [Oiii] EWs, but the blend of Hβ+ [Oiii] in photometric studies makes proving one of these scenarios difficult. We aim to characterize this peculiar population with deep spectroscopy from the JWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey. We find that a significant subset of these galaxies atz ≳ 2 with modest Hβ+ [Oiii] EWs (≈300–600 Å) have high ionization efficiencies ( $\log {\xi }_{\mathrm{ion}}\gtrsim 25.5\mathrm{Hz}{\mathrm{erg}}^{-1}$). Suppressed [Oiii] EW values yet elevated Hαand HβEW values imply that the level of chemical enrichment is the primary culprit, supported by spectroscopic measurements of metallicities below 12 + log(O/H) ≈ 7.70 (0.1Z_⊙). We demonstrate that integrated Hβ+ [Oiii] selections (e.g., Hβ+ [Oiii] EW > 700 Å) exclude the most metal-poor efficient ionizers and favor (1) more chemically enriched systems with comparable extreme radiation fields and (2) older starbursting systems. In contrast, metallicity degeneracies are reduced in Hαspace, enabling the identification of these metal-poor efficient ionizers by their specific star formation rate. 

Context.Sources that leak Lyman continuum (LyC) photons and lead to the reionisation of the universe are an object of intense study using multiple observing facilities. Recently, the Low-redshift LyC Survey (LzLCS) has presented the first large sample of LyC emitting galaxies at low redshift (z ∼ 0.3) with theHubbleSpace Telescope Cosmic Origins Spectrograph. The LzLCS sample contains a robust estimate of the LyC escape fraction (f_esc^LyC) for 66 galaxies, spanning a wide range off_esc^LyCvalues. Aims.Here, we aim to study the dependence off_esc^LyCon the radio continuum (RC) properties of LzLCS sources. Overall, RC emission can provide unique insights into the role of supernova feedback, cosmic rays (CRs), and magnetic fields from its non-thermal emission component. RC emission is also a dust-free tracer of the star formation rate (SFR) in galaxies. Methods.In this study, we present Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) RC observations of the LzLCS sources at gigahertz (GHz) frequencies. We performed VLAC(4−8 GHz) andS(2−4 GHz) band observations for a sample of 53 LzLCS sources. We also observed a sub-sample of 17 LzLCS sources in theL(1−2 GHz) band. We detected RC from bothC- andS-bands in 24 sources for which we are able to estimate their radio spectral index across 3−6 GHz, denoted asα_6 GHz^3 GHz. We also used the RC luminosity to estimate their SFRs. Results.The radio spectral index of LzLCS sources spans a wide range, from flat (≥ − 0.1) to very steep (≤ − 1.0). They have a steeper meanα_6 GHz^3 GHz(≈ − 0.92) compared to that expected for normal star-forming galaxies (α_6 GHz^3 GHz ≈ −0.64). They also show a larger scatter inα_6 GHz^3 GHz(∼0.71) compared to that of normal star-forming galaxies (∼0.15). The strongest leakers in our sample show flatα_6 GHz^3 GHz, weak leakers haveα_6 GHz^3 GHzclose to normal star-forming galaxies and non-leakers are characterized by steepα_6 GHz^3 GHz. We argue that a combination of young ages, free-free absorption, and a flat cosmic-ray energy spectrum can altogether lead to a flatα_6 GHz^3 GHzfor strong leakers. Non-leakers are characterized by steep spectra which can arise due to break or cutoff at high frequencies. Such a cutoff in the spectrum can arise in a single injection model of CRs characteristic of galaxies which have recently stopped star-formation. The dependence off_esc^LyConα_6 GHz^3 GHz(which is orientation-independent) suggests that the escape of LyC photons is not highly direction-dependent at least to the first order. The radio-based SFRs (SFR^RC) of LzLCS sources show a large offset (∼0.59 dex) from the standard SFR^RCcalibration. We find that addingα_6 GHz^3 GHzas a second parameter helps us to calibrate the SFR^RCwith SFR_UVand SFR_Hβwithin a scatter of ∼0.21 dex. Conclusions.For the first time, we have found a relation betweenα_6 GHz^3 GHzandf_esc^LyC. This hints at the interesting role of supernovae feedback, CRs, and magnetic fields in facilitating the escape (alternatively, and/or the lack) of LyC photons. 

We present ten novel [OIII]λ4363 auroral line detections up toz ∼ 9.5 measured from ultra-deep JWST/NIRSpec MSA spectroscopy from the JWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey (JADES). We leverage the deepest spectroscopic observations taken thus far with NIRSpec to determine electron temperatures and oxygen abundances using the directT_emethod. We directly compare these results against a suite of locally calibrated strong-line diagnostics and recent high-zcalibrations. We find the calibrations fail to simultaneously match our JADES sample, thus warranting a self-consistent revision of these calibrations for the high-zUniverse. We find a weak dependence between R2 and O3O2 with metallicity, thus suggesting these line ratios are inefficient in the high-zUniverse as metallicity diagnostics and degeneracy breakers. We find R3 and R23 are still correlated with metallicity, but we find a tentative flattening of these diagnostics, thus suggesting future difficulties when applying these strong line ratios as metallicity indicators in the high-zUniverse. We also propose and test an alternative diagnostic based on a different combination of R3 and R2 with a higher dynamic range. We find a reasonably good agreement (median offset of 0.002 dex, median absolute offset of 0.13 dex) with the JWST sample at low metallicity, but future investigations are required on larger samples to probe past the turnover point. At a given metallicity, our sample demonstrates higher ionization and excitation ratios than local galaxies with rest-frame EWs(Hβ) ≈200 − 300 Å. However, we find the median rest-frame EWs(Hβ) of our sample to be ∼2× less than the galaxies used for the local calibrations. This EW discrepancy combined with the high ionization of our galaxies does not offer a clear description of [OIII]λ4363 production in the high-zUniverse, thus warranting a much deeper examination into the factors influencing these processes. 

Abstract We investigate spatially resolved emission-line ratios in a sample of 219 galaxies (0.6 <z< 1.3) detected using the G102 grism on the Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Camera 3 taken as part of the CANDELS LyαEmission at Reionization survey to measure ionization profiles and search for low-luminosity active galactic nuclei (AGN). We analyze [Oiii] and Hβemission-line maps, enabling us to spatially resolve the [Oiii]/Hβemission-line ratio across the galaxies in the sample. We compare the [Oiii]/Hβratio in galaxy centers and outer annular regions to measure ionization differences and investigate the potential of sources with nuclear ionization to host AGN. We investigate some of the individual galaxies that are candidates to host strong nuclear ionization and find that they often have low stellar mass and are undetected in X-rays, as expected for low-luminosity AGN in low-mass galaxies. We do not find evidence for a significant population of off-nuclear AGN or other clumps of off-nuclear ionization. We model the observed distribution of [Oiii]/Hβspatial profiles and find that most galaxies are consistent with a small or zero difference between their nuclear and off-nuclear line ratios, but 6%–16% of galaxies in the sample are likely to host nuclear [Oiii]/Hβthat is ∼0.5 dex higher than in their outer regions. This study is limited by large uncertainties in most of the measured [Oiii]/Hβspatial profiles; therefore, deeper data, e.g., from deeper HST/WFC3 programs or from JWST/NIRISS, are needed to more reliably measure the spatially resolved emission-line conditions of individual high-redshift galaxies. 

Abstract The UltraViolet imaging of the Cosmic Assembly Near-infrared Deep Extragalactic Legacy Survey Fields (UVCANDELS) program provides Hubble Space Telescope (HST)/UVIS F275W imaging for four CANDELS fields. We combine this UV imaging with existing HST/near-IR grism spectroscopy from 3D-HST+AGHAST to directly compare the resolved rest-frame UV and H α emission for a sample of 979 galaxies at 0.7 < z < 1.5, spanning a range in stellar mass of 10 8−11.5 M ⊙ . Using a stacking analysis, we perform a resolved comparison between homogenized maps of rest-UV and H α to compute the average UV-to-H α luminosity ratio (an indicator of burstiness in star formation) as a function of galactocentric radius. We find that galaxies below stellar mass of ∼10 9.5 M ⊙ , at all radii, have a UV-to-H α ratio higher than the equilibrium value expected from constant star formation, indicating a significant contribution from bursty star formation. Even for galaxies with stellar mass ≳10 9.5 M ⊙ , the UV-to-H α ratio is elevated toward their outskirts ( R / R eff > 1.5), suggesting that bursty star formation is likely prevalent in the outskirts of even the most massive galaxies, but is likely overshadowed by their brighter cores. Furthermore, we present the UV-to-H α ratio as a function of galaxy surface brightness, a proxy for stellar mass surface density, and find that regions below ∼10 7.5 M ⊙ kpc −2 are consistent with bursty star formation, regardless of their galaxy stellar mass, potentially suggesting that local star formation is independent of global galaxy properties at the smallest scales. Last, we find galaxies at z > 1.1 to have bursty star formation, regardless of radius or surface brightness. 

Abstract We analyze a sample of 25 [Nev] (λ3426) emission-line galaxies at 1.4 <z< 2.3 using Hubble Space Telescope/Wide Field Camera 3 G102 and G141 grism observations from the CANDELS LyαEmission at Reionization (CLEAR) survey. [Nev] emission probes extremely energetic photoionization (creation potential of 97.11 eV) and is often attributed to energetic radiation from active galactic nuclei (AGNs), shocks from supernovae, or an otherwise very hard ionizing spectrum from the stellar continuum. In this work, we use [Nev] in conjunction with other rest-frame UV/optical emission lines ([Oii]λλ3726, 3729, [Neiii]λ3869, Hβ, [Oiii]λλ4959, 5007, Hα+[Nii]λλ6548, 6583, [Sii]λλ6716, 6731), deep (2–7 Ms) X-ray observations (from Chandra), and mid-infrared imaging (from Spitzer) to study the origin of this emission and to place constraints on the nature of the ionizing engine. The majority of the [Nev]-detected galaxies have properties consistent with ionization from AGNs. However, for our [Nev]-selected sample, the X-ray luminosities are consistent with local (z≲ 0.1) X-ray-selected Seyferts, but the [Nev] luminosities are more consistent with those fromz∼ 1 X-ray-selected QSOs. The excess [Nev] emission requires either reduced hard X-rays or a ∼0.1 keV excess. We discuss possible origins of the apparent [Nev] excess, which could be related to the “soft (X-ray) excess” observed in some QSOs and Seyferts and/or be a consequence of a complex/anisotropic geometry for the narrow-line region, combined with absorption from a warm, relativistic wind ejected from the accretion disk. We also consider implications for future studies of extreme high-ionization systems in the epoch of reionization (z≳ 6) with the James Webb Space Telescope. 

Abstract We use Paschen- β (Pa β ; 1282 nm) observations from the Hubble Space Telescope G141 grism to study the star formation and dust-attenuation properties of a sample of 29 low-redshift ( z < 0.287) galaxies in the CANDELS Ly α Emission at Reionization survey. We first compare the nebular attenuation from Pa β /H α with the stellar attenuation inferred from the spectral energy distribution, finding that the galaxies in our sample are consistent with an average ratio of the continuum attenuation to the nebular gas of 0.44, but with a large amount of excess scatter beyond the observational uncertainties. Much of this scatter is linked to a large variation between the nebular dust attenuation as measured by (space-based) Pa β to (ground-based) H α to that from (ground-based) H α /H β . This implies there are important differences between attenuation measured from grism-based/wide-aperture Pa β fluxes and the ground-based/slit-measured Balmer decrement. We next compare star formation rates (SFRs) from Pa β to those from dust-corrected UV. We perform a survival analysis to infer a census of Pa β emission implied by both detections and nondetections. We find evidence that galaxies with lower stellar mass have more scatter in their ratio of Pa β to attenuation-corrected UV SFRs. When considering our Pa β detection limits, this observation supports the idea that lower-mass galaxies experience “burstier” star formation histories. Together, these results show that Pa β is a valuable tracer of a galaxy’s SFR, probing different timescales of star formation and potentially revealing star formation that is otherwise missed by UV and optical tracers. 

Abstract We report on the gas-phase metallicity gradients of a sample of 238 star-forming galaxies at 0.6 < z < 2.6, measured through deep near-infrared Hubble Space Telescope slitless spectroscopy. The observations include 12 orbit depth Hubble/WFC3 G102 grism spectra taken as a part of the CANDELS Ly α Emission at Reionization (CLEAR) survey, and archival WFC3 G102+G141 grism spectra overlapping the CLEAR footprint. The majority of galaxies in this sample are consistent with having a zero or slightly positive metallicity gradient ( dZ / dR ≥ 0, i.e., increasing with radius) across the full mass range probed (8.5 < log M * / M ⊙ < 10.5). We measure the intrinsic population scatter of the metallicity gradients, and show that it increases with decreasing stellar mass—consistent with previous reports in the literature, but confirmed here with a much larger sample. To understand the physical mechanisms governing this scatter, we search for correlations between the observed gradient and various stellar population properties at fixed mass. However, we find no evidence for a correlation with the galaxy properties we consider—including star formation rates, sizes, star formation rate surface densities, and star formation rates per gravitational potential energy. We use the observed weakness of these correlations to provide material constraints for predicted intrinsic correlations from theoretical models. 

Abstract We use Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Camera 3 G102 and G141 grism spectroscopy to measure rest-frame optical emission-line ratios of 533 galaxies atz∼ 1.5 in the CANDELS LyαEmission at Reionization survey. We compare [Oiii]/Hβversus [Sii]/(Hα+ [Nii]) as an “unVO87” diagram for 461 galaxies and [Oiii]/Hβversus [Neiii]/[Oii] as an “OHNO” diagram for 91 galaxies. The unVO87 diagram does not effectively separate active galactic nuclei (AGN) and [Nev] sources from star-forming galaxies, indicating that the unVO87 properties of star-forming galaxies evolve with redshift and overlap with AGN emission-line signatures atz> 1. The OHNO diagram does effectively separate X-ray AGN and [Nev]-emitting galaxies from the rest of the population. We find that the [Oiii]/Hβline ratios are significantly anticorrelated with stellar mass and significantly correlated with $\log \left(L_{\mathrm{H}\beta }\right)$, while [Sii]/(Hα+ [Nii]) is significantly anticorrelated with $\log \left(L_{\mathrm{H}\beta }\right)$. Comparison with MAPPINGS V photoionization models indicates that these trends are consistent with lower metallicity and higher ionization in low-mass and high-star formation rate (SFR) galaxies. We do not find evidence for redshift evolution of the emission-line ratios outside of the correlations with mass and SFR. Our results suggest that the OHNO diagram of [Oiii]/Hβversus [Neiii]/[Oii] will be a useful indicator of AGN content and gas conditions in very high-redshift galaxies to be observed by the James Webb Space Telescope.