ALESS-JWST: Joint (sub-)kiloparsec JWST and ALMA imaging of \(z\sim3\) submillimeter galaxies reveals heavily obscured bulge formation events

We present JWST NIRCam imaging targeting 13 \(z\sim3\) infrared-luminous (\(L_{\rm IR}\sim5\times10^{12}L_{\odot}\)) galaxies from the ALESS survey with uniquely deep, high-resolution (0.08$''$$-\(0.16\)''\() ALMA 870\)\mu\(m imaging. The 2.0\)-\(4.4\)\mu\(m (observed frame) NIRC...

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Published inarXiv.org
Main Authors Hodge, Jacqueline A, da Cunha, Elisabete, Kendrew, Sarah, Li, Juno, Smail, Ian, Westoby, Bethany A, Nayak, Omnarayani, Swinbank, Mark, Chian-Chou, Chen, Fabian, Walter, van der Werf, Paul, Cracraft, Misty, Battisti, Andrew, Brandt, Willian N, Rivera, Gabriela Calistro, Chapman, Scott C, Cox, Pierre, Dannerbauer, Helmut, Decarli, Roberto, Marta Frias Castillo, Greve, Thomas R, Knudsen, Kirsten K, Leslie, Sarah, Menten, Karl M, Rybak, Matus, Schinnerer, Eva, Wardlow, Julie L, Weiss, Axel
Format Paper
LanguageEnglish
Published Ithaca Cornell University Library, arXiv.org 22.07.2024
Subjects
Cosmic dust
Dust
Galaxies
Infrared imaging
James Webb Space Telescope
Morphology
Near infrared radiation
Position measurement
Red shift
Stellar age
Surface brightness
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Summary:We present JWST NIRCam imaging targeting 13 \(z\sim3\) infrared-luminous (\(L_{\rm IR}\sim5\times10^{12}L_{\odot}\)) galaxies from the ALESS survey with uniquely deep, high-resolution (0.08$''$$-\(0.16\)''\() ALMA 870\)\mu\(m imaging. The 2.0\)-\(4.4\)\mu\(m (observed frame) NIRCam imaging reveals the rest-frame near-infrared stellar emission in these submillimeter-selected galaxies (SMGs) at the same (sub-)kpc resolution as the 870\)\mu\(m dust continuum. The newly revealed stellar morphologies show striking similarities with the dust continuum morphologies at 870\)\mu\(m, with the centers and position angles agreeing for most sources, clearly illustrating that the spatial offsets reported previously between the 870\)\mu\(m and HST morphologies were due to strong differential dust obscuration. The F444W sizes are 78\)\pm\(21% larger than those measured at 870\)\mu\(m, in contrast to recent results from hydrodynamical simulations that predict larger 870\)\mu\(m sizes. We report evidence for significant dust obscuration in F444W for the highest-redshift sources, emphasizing the importance of longer-wavelength MIRI imaging. The majority of the sources show evidence that they are undergoing mergers/interactions, including tidal tails/plumes -- some of which are also detected at 870\)\mu\(m. We find a clear correlation between NIRCam colors and 870\)\mu\(m surface brightness on \)\sim\(1 kpc scales, indicating that the galaxies are primarily red due to dust -- not stellar age -- and we show that the dust structure on \)\sim\(kpc-scales is broadly similar to that in nearby galaxies. Finally, we find no strong stellar bars in the rest-frame near-infrared, suggesting the extended bar-like features seen at 870\)\mu$m are highly obscured and/or gas-dominated structures that are likely early precursors to significant bulge growth.
ISSN:2331-8422