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Creators/Authors contains: "Lam, Natalie"

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  1. We present spatially-resolved rest-frame optical emission line maps of four galaxies at z∼2 observed with Keck/OSIRIS to study the physical conditions of the ISM at Cosmic Noon. Our analysis of strong emission line ratios in these galaxies reveals an offset from the local star-forming locus on the BPT diagram, but agrees with other star-forming galaxies at similar redshifts. Despite the offset towards higher [O III]λ5008/Hβ and [N II]λ6585/Hα, these strong-line ratios remain consistent with or below the maximum starburst threshold even in the inner ∼1 kpc region of the galaxies, providing no compelling evidence for central AGN activity. The galaxies also exhibit flat radial gas-phase metallicity gradients, consistent with previous studies of z∼2 galaxies and suggesting efficient radial mixing possibly driven by strong outflows from intense star formation. Overall, our results reveal the highly star-forming nature of these galaxies, with the potential to launch outflows that flatten metallicity gradients through significant radial gas mixing. Future observations with JWST/NIRSpec are crucial to detect fainter emission lines at higher spatial resolution to further constrain the physical processes and ionization mechanisms that shape the ISM during Cosmic Noon. 
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    Free, publicly-accessible full text available June 27, 2026