A First Look at Spatially Resolved Star Formation at $4.8<z<6.5$ with JWST FRESCO NIRCam Slitless Spectroscopy

TL;DR

This study uses JWST FRESCO NIRCam slitless spectroscopy to analyze the spatial distribution of star formation in galaxies at redshifts 4.8 to 6.5, revealing inside-out growth and rapid bulge formation shortly after reionization.

Contribution

First spatially resolved analysis of star formation in high-redshift galaxies using JWST, showing inside-out growth and evolution of galaxy structures at early cosmic times.

Findings

Positive H-Alpha EW profiles indicate inside-out growth.

Compact bulges form rapidly after reionization.

H-alpha size and density evolve faster than stellar continuum with redshift.

Abstract

We present the first results on the spatial distribution of star formation in 454 star-forming galaxies at $4.8<z<6.5$ using H-Alpha emission-line maps and F444W imaging tracing the stellar continuum from JWST FRESCO NIRCam Slitless Spectroscopy. Star-forming galaxies with stellar masses $6.8\leq$log($M_{*}/\mathrm{M}_{\odot}$)$<11.1$ have positive H-Alpha equivalent width profiles, providing direct evidence for the inside-out growth of galaxies just after the epoch of reionisation. GALFIT is used to calculate half-light radii, $R_{\mathrm{eff}}$ and central surface densities within 1 kiloparsec, $\Sigma_{1\mathrm{kpc}}$. At a fixed stellar mass of log$(M_{*}/\mathrm{M}_{\odot})=9.5$, $\Sigma_{1\mathrm{kpc, H}\alpha}$ is $1.04\pm0.05$ times higher than $\Sigma_{1\mathrm{kpc, C}}$, $R_{\mathrm{eff, H}\alpha}$ is $1.18\pm0.03$ times larger than $R_{\mathrm{eff, C}}$ and both $R_{\mathrm{eff}}$ measurements are less than 1 kiloparsec. These measurements suggest the rapid build-up of compact bulges just after the epoch of reionisation. By comparing to work done at lower redshifts with HST WFC3 Slitless Spectroscopy as part of the 3D-HST ($z=1$) and CLEAR ($z=0.5$) surveys, we find that $R_{\mathrm{eff}}(z)$ evolves at the same pace for H$\alpha$ and the continuum, but $\Sigma_{1\mathrm{kpc}}(z)$ evolves faster for H$\alpha$. As a function of the Hubble parameter, $\frac{R_{\mathrm{eff, H}\alpha}}{R_{\mathrm{eff, C}}}=1.1h(z)$ and $\frac{\Sigma_{1\mathrm{kpc,H}\alpha}}{\Sigma_{1\mathrm{kpc,C}}}=h(z)^{1.3}$. These functions suggest that the inside-out growth of the disk dominates the inside-out growth of the bulge towards lower redshifts. This is supported by the redshift evolution in EW(H$\alpha$) profiles, where there is rapid increase in EW(H$\alpha$) with radius within the half-light radius at $z=5.3$ but only significantly increasing EW(H$\alpha$) with radius in the outer disk at $z=0.5$.