James Webb Space Telescope Feed Post

Harvard ADS: Identification of High-Redshift Galaxy Overdensities in GOODS-N and GOODS-S

Paper abstract: We conduct a systematic search for high-redshift galaxy overdensities at 4.9 < z_{\,\mathrm{spec}} < 8.9 in both the GOODS-N and GOODS-S fields using JWST/NIRCam imaging from JADES and JEMS in addition to JWST/NIRCam wide field slitless spectroscopy from FRESCO. High-redshift galaxy candidates are identified using HST+JWST photometry spanning \lambda = 0.4-5.0\ \mu\mathrm{m}. We confirmed the redshifts for roughly a third of these galaxies using JWST/FRESCO spectroscopy over \lambda = 3.9-5.0\ \mu\mathrm{m} through identification of either \mathrm{H} \alpha or \left[\mathrm{OIII}\right]\lambda5008 around the best-fit photometric redshift. The rest-UV magnitudes and continuum slopes of these galaxies were inferred from the photometry: the brightest and reddest objects appear in more dense environments and thus are surrounded by more galaxy neighbors than their fainter and bluer counterparts, suggesting accelerated galaxy evolution within overdense environments. We find 17 significant (\delta_{\mathrm{gal}} >= 3.04, N_{\mathrm{galaxies}} >= 4) galaxy overdensities across both fields (7 in GOODS-N and 10 in GOODS-S), including the two highest redshift spectroscopically confirmed galaxy overdensities to date at \left< z_{\mathrm{\,spec}} \right> = 7.955 and \left< z_{\mathrm{\,spec}} \right> = 8.222 (representing densities around ~ 6 and ~ 12 times that of a random volume). We estimate the total halo mass of these large-scale structures to be 11.5 <= \mathrm{log}_{10}\left(M_{\mathrm{halo}}/M_{\odot}\right) <= 13.4 using an empirical stellar mass to halo mass relation, which are likely underestimates as a result of incompleteness. These protocluster candidates are expected to evolve into massive galaxy clusters with \mathrm{log}_{10}\left(M_{\mathrm{halo}}/M_{\odot}\right) \gtrsim 14 by z = 0.