JADES NIRSpec Spectroscopy of GN-z11: Lyman-$α$ emission and possible enhanced nitrogen abundance in a $z=10.60$ luminous galaxy

Andrew J. Bunker; Aayush Saxena; Alex J. Cameron; Chris J. Willott; Emma Curtis-Lake; Peter Jakobsen; Stefano Carniani; Renske Smit; Roberto Maiolino; Joris Witstok; Mirko Curti; Francesco D'Eugenio; Gareth C. Jones; Pierre Ferruit; Santiago Arribas; Stephane Charlot; Jacopo Chevallard; Giovanna Giardino; Anna de Graaff; Tobias J. Looser; Nora Luetzgendorf; Michael V. Maseda; Tim Rawle; Hans-Walter Rix; Bruno Rodriguez Del Pino; Stacey Alberts; Eiichi Egami; Daniel J. Eisenstein; Ryan Endsley; Kevin Hainline; Ryan Hausen; Benjamin D. Johnson; George Rieke; Marcia Rieke; Brant E. Robertson; Irene Shivaei; Daniel P. Stark; Fengwu Sun; Sandro Tacchella; Mengtao Tang; Christina C. Williams; Christopher N. A. Willmer; William M. Baker; Stefi Baum; Rachana Bhatawdekar; Rebecca Bowler; Kristan Boyett; Zuyi Chen; Chiara Circosta; Jakob M. Helton; Zhiyuan Ji; Nimisha Kumari; Jianwei Lyu; Erica Nelson; Eleonora Parlanti; Michele Perna; Lester Sandles; Jan Scholtz; Katherine A. Suess; Michael W. Topping; Hannah Uebler; Imaan E. B. Wallace; Lily Whitler

doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202346159

JADES NIRSpec Spectroscopy of GN-z11: Lyman-$α$ emission and possible enhanced nitrogen abundance in a $z=10.60$ luminous galaxy

Andrew J. Bunker, Aayush Saxena, Alex J. Cameron, Chris J. Willott, Emma Curtis-Lake, Peter Jakobsen, Stefano Carniani, Renske Smit, Roberto Maiolino, Joris Witstok, Mirko Curti, Francesco D'Eugenio, Gareth C. Jones, Pierre Ferruit, Santiago Arribas, Stephane Charlot, Jacopo Chevallard, Giovanna Giardino, Anna de Graaff, Tobias J. LooserNora Luetzgendorf, Michael V. Maseda, Tim Rawle, Hans-Walter Rix, Bruno Rodriguez Del Pino, Stacey Alberts, Eiichi Egami, Daniel J. Eisenstein, Ryan Endsley, Kevin Hainline, Ryan Hausen, Benjamin D. Johnson, George Rieke, Marcia Rieke, Brant E. Robertson, Irene Shivaei, Daniel P. Stark, Fengwu Sun, Sandro Tacchella, Mengtao Tang, Christina C. Williams, Christopher N. A. Willmer, William M. Baker, Stefi Baum, Rachana Bhatawdekar, Rebecca Bowler, Kristan Boyett, Zuyi Chen, Chiara Circosta, Jakob M. Helton, Zhiyuan Ji, Nimisha Kumari, Jianwei Lyu, Erica Nelson, Eleonora Parlanti, Michele Perna, Lester Sandles, Jan Scholtz, Katherine A. Suess, Michael W. Topping, Hannah Uebler, Imaan E. B. Wallace, Lily Whitler

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Abstract

We present JADES JWST/NIRSpec spectroscopy of GN-z11, the most luminous candidate z>10 Lyman break galaxy in the GOODS-North field with MUV =-21.5. We derive a redshift of z = 10.603 (lower than previous determinations) based on multiple emission lines in our low and medium resolution spectra over 0.7- 5.3 μm. We significantly detect the continuum and measure a blue rest-UV spectral slope of β =-2.4. Remarkably, we see spatially extended Lyman-α in emission (despite the highly neutral intergalactic medium expected at this early epoch), offset 555 km s-1 redwards of the systemic redshift. From our measurements of collisionally excited lines of both low and high ionisation (including [O II] λ3727, [Ne III] λ3869, and C III] λ1909), we infer a high ionisation parameter (log U ∼-2). We detect the rarely seen N IV] λ1486 and N III] λ1748 lines in both our low and medium resolution spectra, with other high ionisation lines seen in the low resolution spectrum, such as He II (blended with O III]) and C IV (with a possible P-Cygni profile). Based on the observed rest-UV line ratios, we cannot conclusively rule out photoionisation from an active galactic nucleus (AGN), although the high C III]/He II and N III]/He II ratios are compatible with a star formation explanation. If the observed emission lines are powered by star formation, then the strong N III] λ1748 observed may imply an unusually high N/O abundance. Balmer emission lines (Hγ, Hδ) are also detected, and if powered by star formation rather than an AGN, we infer a star formation rate of ∼20-30 M⊙ yr-1 (depending on the initial mass function) and low dust attenuation. Our NIRSpec spectroscopy confirms that GN-z11 is a remarkable galaxy with extreme properties seen 430 Myr after the Big Bang.

Original language	English
Article number	A88
Pages (from-to)	1-17
Number of pages	17
Journal	Astronomy & Astrophysics
Volume	677
Issue number	September 2023
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202346159
Publication status	Published - 11 Sept 2023

Keywords

Galaxies: Abundances
Galaxies: Evolution
Galaxies: Groups: Individual: GN-z11
Galaxies: High-redshift

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10.1051/0004-6361/202346159Licence: CC BY

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© 2023 The Author(s), published by EDP Sciences. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Final published version, 4.15 MBLicence: CC BY

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Bunker, A. J., Saxena, A., Cameron, A. J., Willott, C. J., Curtis-Lake, E., Jakobsen, P., Carniani, S., Smit, R., Maiolino, R., Witstok, J., Curti, M., D'Eugenio, F., Jones, G. C., Ferruit, P., Arribas, S., Charlot, S., Chevallard, J., Giardino, G., Graaff, A. D., ... Whitler, L. (2023). JADES NIRSpec Spectroscopy of GN-z11: Lyman-$α$ emission and possible enhanced nitrogen abundance in a $z=10.60$ luminous galaxy. Astronomy & Astrophysics, 677(September 2023), 1-17. Article A88. https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202346159

@article{02195b7bdee74830b274626dd8910551,

title = "JADES NIRSpec Spectroscopy of GN-z11: Lyman-$α$ emission and possible enhanced nitrogen abundance in a $z=10.60$ luminous galaxy",

abstract = "We present JADES JWST/NIRSpec spectroscopy of GN-z11, the most luminous candidate z>10 Lyman break galaxy in the GOODS-North field with MUV =-21.5. We derive a redshift of z = 10.603 (lower than previous determinations) based on multiple emission lines in our low and medium resolution spectra over 0.7- 5.3 μm. We significantly detect the continuum and measure a blue rest-UV spectral slope of β =-2.4. Remarkably, we see spatially extended Lyman-α in emission (despite the highly neutral intergalactic medium expected at this early epoch), offset 555 km s-1 redwards of the systemic redshift. From our measurements of collisionally excited lines of both low and high ionisation (including [O II] λ3727, [Ne III] λ3869, and C III] λ1909), we infer a high ionisation parameter (log U ∼-2). We detect the rarely seen N IV] λ1486 and N III] λ1748 lines in both our low and medium resolution spectra, with other high ionisation lines seen in the low resolution spectrum, such as He II (blended with O III]) and C IV (with a possible P-Cygni profile). Based on the observed rest-UV line ratios, we cannot conclusively rule out photoionisation from an active galactic nucleus (AGN), although the high C III]/He II and N III]/He II ratios are compatible with a star formation explanation. If the observed emission lines are powered by star formation, then the strong N III] λ1748 observed may imply an unusually high N/O abundance. Balmer emission lines (Hγ, Hδ) are also detected, and if powered by star formation rather than an AGN, we infer a star formation rate of ∼20-30 M⊙ yr-1 (depending on the initial mass function) and low dust attenuation. Our NIRSpec spectroscopy confirms that GN-z11 is a remarkable galaxy with extreme properties seen 430 Myr after the Big Bang.",

keywords = "Galaxies: Abundances, Galaxies: Evolution, Galaxies: Groups: Individual: GN-z11, Galaxies: High-redshift",

author = "Bunker, {Andrew J.} and Aayush Saxena and Cameron, {Alex J.} and Willott, {Chris J.} and Emma Curtis-Lake and Peter Jakobsen and Stefano Carniani and Renske Smit and Roberto Maiolino and Joris Witstok and Mirko Curti and Francesco D'Eugenio and Jones, {Gareth C.} and Pierre Ferruit and Santiago Arribas and Stephane Charlot and Jacopo Chevallard and Giovanna Giardino and Graaff, {Anna de} and Looser, {Tobias J.} and Nora Luetzgendorf and Maseda, {Michael V.} and Tim Rawle and Hans-Walter Rix and Pino, {Bruno Rodriguez Del} and Stacey Alberts and Eiichi Egami and Eisenstein, {Daniel J.} and Ryan Endsley and Kevin Hainline and Ryan Hausen and Johnson, {Benjamin D.} and George Rieke and Marcia Rieke and Robertson, {Brant E.} and Irene Shivaei and Stark, {Daniel P.} and Fengwu Sun and Sandro Tacchella and Mengtao Tang and Williams, {Christina C.} and Willmer, {Christopher N. A.} and Baker, {William M.} and Stefi Baum and Rachana Bhatawdekar and Rebecca Bowler and Kristan Boyett and Zuyi Chen and Chiara Circosta and Helton, {Jakob M.} and Zhiyuan Ji and Nimisha Kumari and Jianwei Lyu and Erica Nelson and Eleonora Parlanti and Michele Perna and Lester Sandles and Jan Scholtz and Suess, {Katherine A.} and Topping, {Michael W.} and Hannah Uebler and Wallace, {Imaan E. B.} and Lily Whitler",

note = "{\textcopyright} 2023 The Author(s), published by EDP Sciences. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ",

year = "2023",

month = sep,

day = "11",

doi = "10.1051/0004-6361/202346159",

language = "English",

volume = "677",

pages = "1--17",

journal = "Astronomy & Astrophysics",

issn = "0004-6361",

publisher = "EDP Sciences",

number = "September 2023",

}

Bunker, AJ, Saxena, A, Cameron, AJ, Willott, CJ, Curtis-Lake, E, Jakobsen, P, Carniani, S, Smit, R, Maiolino, R, Witstok, J, Curti, M, D'Eugenio, F, Jones, GC, Ferruit, P, Arribas, S, Charlot, S, Chevallard, J, Giardino, G, Graaff, AD, Looser, TJ, Luetzgendorf, N, Maseda, MV, Rawle, T, Rix, H-W, Pino, BRD, Alberts, S, Egami, E, Eisenstein, DJ, Endsley, R, Hainline, K, Hausen, R, Johnson, BD, Rieke, G, Rieke, M, Robertson, BE, Shivaei, I, Stark, DP, Sun, F, Tacchella, S, Tang, M, Williams, CC, Willmer, CNA, Baker, WM, Baum, S, Bhatawdekar, R, Bowler, R, Boyett, K, Chen, Z, Circosta, C, Helton, JM, Ji, Z, Kumari, N, Lyu, J, Nelson, E, Parlanti, E, Perna, M, Sandles, L, Scholtz, J, Suess, KA, Topping, MW, Uebler, H, Wallace, IEB & Whitler, L 2023, 'JADES NIRSpec Spectroscopy of GN-z11: Lyman-$α$ emission and possible enhanced nitrogen abundance in a $z=10.60$ luminous galaxy', Astronomy & Astrophysics, vol. 677, no. September 2023, A88, pp. 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202346159

TY - JOUR

T1 - JADES NIRSpec Spectroscopy of GN-z11: Lyman-$α$ emission and possible enhanced nitrogen abundance in a $z=10.60$ luminous galaxy

AU - Bunker, Andrew J.

AU - Saxena, Aayush

AU - Cameron, Alex J.

AU - Willott, Chris J.

AU - Curtis-Lake, Emma

AU - Jakobsen, Peter

AU - Carniani, Stefano

AU - Smit, Renske

AU - Maiolino, Roberto

AU - Witstok, Joris

AU - Curti, Mirko

AU - D'Eugenio, Francesco

AU - Jones, Gareth C.

AU - Ferruit, Pierre

AU - Arribas, Santiago

AU - Charlot, Stephane

AU - Chevallard, Jacopo

AU - Giardino, Giovanna

AU - Graaff, Anna de

AU - Looser, Tobias J.

AU - Luetzgendorf, Nora

AU - Maseda, Michael V.

AU - Rawle, Tim

AU - Rix, Hans-Walter

AU - Pino, Bruno Rodriguez Del

AU - Alberts, Stacey

AU - Egami, Eiichi

AU - Eisenstein, Daniel J.

AU - Endsley, Ryan

AU - Hainline, Kevin

AU - Hausen, Ryan

AU - Johnson, Benjamin D.

AU - Rieke, George

AU - Rieke, Marcia

AU - Robertson, Brant E.

AU - Shivaei, Irene

AU - Stark, Daniel P.

AU - Sun, Fengwu

AU - Tacchella, Sandro

AU - Tang, Mengtao

AU - Williams, Christina C.

AU - Willmer, Christopher N. A.

AU - Baker, William M.

AU - Baum, Stefi

AU - Bhatawdekar, Rachana

AU - Bowler, Rebecca

AU - Boyett, Kristan

AU - Chen, Zuyi

AU - Circosta, Chiara

AU - Helton, Jakob M.

AU - Ji, Zhiyuan

AU - Kumari, Nimisha

AU - Lyu, Jianwei

AU - Nelson, Erica

AU - Parlanti, Eleonora

AU - Perna, Michele

AU - Sandles, Lester

AU - Scholtz, Jan

AU - Suess, Katherine A.

AU - Topping, Michael W.

AU - Uebler, Hannah

AU - Wallace, Imaan E. B.

AU - Whitler, Lily

N1 - © 2023 The Author(s), published by EDP Sciences. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

PY - 2023/9/11

Y1 - 2023/9/11

N2 - We present JADES JWST/NIRSpec spectroscopy of GN-z11, the most luminous candidate z>10 Lyman break galaxy in the GOODS-North field with MUV =-21.5. We derive a redshift of z = 10.603 (lower than previous determinations) based on multiple emission lines in our low and medium resolution spectra over 0.7- 5.3 μm. We significantly detect the continuum and measure a blue rest-UV spectral slope of β =-2.4. Remarkably, we see spatially extended Lyman-α in emission (despite the highly neutral intergalactic medium expected at this early epoch), offset 555 km s-1 redwards of the systemic redshift. From our measurements of collisionally excited lines of both low and high ionisation (including [O II] λ3727, [Ne III] λ3869, and C III] λ1909), we infer a high ionisation parameter (log U ∼-2). We detect the rarely seen N IV] λ1486 and N III] λ1748 lines in both our low and medium resolution spectra, with other high ionisation lines seen in the low resolution spectrum, such as He II (blended with O III]) and C IV (with a possible P-Cygni profile). Based on the observed rest-UV line ratios, we cannot conclusively rule out photoionisation from an active galactic nucleus (AGN), although the high C III]/He II and N III]/He II ratios are compatible with a star formation explanation. If the observed emission lines are powered by star formation, then the strong N III] λ1748 observed may imply an unusually high N/O abundance. Balmer emission lines (Hγ, Hδ) are also detected, and if powered by star formation rather than an AGN, we infer a star formation rate of ∼20-30 M⊙ yr-1 (depending on the initial mass function) and low dust attenuation. Our NIRSpec spectroscopy confirms that GN-z11 is a remarkable galaxy with extreme properties seen 430 Myr after the Big Bang.

AB - We present JADES JWST/NIRSpec spectroscopy of GN-z11, the most luminous candidate z>10 Lyman break galaxy in the GOODS-North field with MUV =-21.5. We derive a redshift of z = 10.603 (lower than previous determinations) based on multiple emission lines in our low and medium resolution spectra over 0.7- 5.3 μm. We significantly detect the continuum and measure a blue rest-UV spectral slope of β =-2.4. Remarkably, we see spatially extended Lyman-α in emission (despite the highly neutral intergalactic medium expected at this early epoch), offset 555 km s-1 redwards of the systemic redshift. From our measurements of collisionally excited lines of both low and high ionisation (including [O II] λ3727, [Ne III] λ3869, and C III] λ1909), we infer a high ionisation parameter (log U ∼-2). We detect the rarely seen N IV] λ1486 and N III] λ1748 lines in both our low and medium resolution spectra, with other high ionisation lines seen in the low resolution spectrum, such as He II (blended with O III]) and C IV (with a possible P-Cygni profile). Based on the observed rest-UV line ratios, we cannot conclusively rule out photoionisation from an active galactic nucleus (AGN), although the high C III]/He II and N III]/He II ratios are compatible with a star formation explanation. If the observed emission lines are powered by star formation, then the strong N III] λ1748 observed may imply an unusually high N/O abundance. Balmer emission lines (Hγ, Hδ) are also detected, and if powered by star formation rather than an AGN, we infer a star formation rate of ∼20-30 M⊙ yr-1 (depending on the initial mass function) and low dust attenuation. Our NIRSpec spectroscopy confirms that GN-z11 is a remarkable galaxy with extreme properties seen 430 Myr after the Big Bang.

KW - Galaxies: Abundances

KW - Galaxies: Evolution

KW - Galaxies: Groups: Individual: GN-z11

KW - Galaxies: High-redshift

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85172356022&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1051/0004-6361/202346159

DO - 10.1051/0004-6361/202346159

M3 - Article

SN - 0004-6361

VL - 677

SP - 1

EP - 17

JO - Astronomy & Astrophysics

JF - Astronomy & Astrophysics

IS - September 2023

M1 - A88

ER -

JADES NIRSpec Spectroscopy of GN-z11: Lyman-$α$ emission and possible enhanced nitrogen abundance in a $z=10.60$ luminous galaxy

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