Are JWST/NIRCam color gradients in the lensed z=2.3 dusty star-forming galaxy El Anzuelo due to central dust attenuation or inside-out galaxy growth?

TL;DR

This study uses JWST/NIRCam imaging and lens modeling to analyze a lensed dusty star-forming galaxy at z=2.3, revealing color gradients caused by dust attenuation and early inside-out quenching.

Contribution

It presents the first detailed analysis of JWST/NIRCam color gradients in a lensed galaxy, linking observed gradients to dust attenuation and galaxy growth processes.

Findings

Color gradient due to dust attenuation and spatial offsets between UV and IR emission.

Consistent half-light radius across multiple wavelengths despite color gradient.

Evidence of early inside-out quenching in the galaxy.

Abstract

Gradients in the mass-to-light ratio of distant galaxies impede our ability to characterize their size and compactness. The long-wavelength filters of $JWST$'s NIRCam offer a significant step forward. For galaxies at Cosmic Noon ($z\sim2$), this regime corresponds to the rest-frame near-infrared, which is less biased towards young stars and captures emission from the bulk of a galaxy's stellar population. We present an initial analysis of an extraordinary lensed dusty star-forming galaxy (DSFG) at $z=2.3$ behind the $El~Gordo$ cluster ($z=0.87$), named $El~Anzuelo$ ("The Fishhook") after its partial Einstein-ring morphology. The FUV-NIR SED suggests an intrinsic star formation rate of $81^{+7}_{-2}~M_\odot~{\rm yr}^{-1}$ and dust attenuation $A_V\approx 1.6$, in line with other DSFGs on the star-forming main sequence. We develop a parametric lens model to reconstruct the source-plane structure of dust imaged by the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, far-UV to optical light from $Hubble$, and near-IR imaging with 8 filters of $JWST$/NIRCam, as part of the Prime Extragalactic Areas for Reionization and Lensing Science (PEARLS) program. The source-plane half-light radius is remarkably consistent from $\sim 1-4.5~\mu$m, despite a clear color gradient where the inferred galaxy center is redder than the outskirts. We interpret this to be the result of both a radially-decreasing gradient in attenuation and substantial spatial offsets between UV- and IR-emitting components. A spatial decomposition of the SED reveals modestly suppressed star formation in the inner kiloparsec, which suggests that we are witnessing the early stages of inside-out quenching.