Low [O/Fe] Ratio in a Luminous Galaxy at the Early Cosmic Epoch ($z>10$): Signature of Short Delay Time or Bright Hypernovae/Pair-Instability Supernovae?

TL;DR

This study measures the [O/Fe] ratio in a galaxy at redshift 10.6 using JWST data, revealing rapid Fe enrichment likely from hypernovae or pair-instability supernovae rather than traditional Type Ia supernovae, indicating early chemical evolution.

Contribution

First measurement of [O/Fe] in a galaxy at z>10, suggesting rapid Fe enrichment mechanisms in the early universe beyond Type Ia supernovae.

Findings

[O/Fe] ratio is -0.37, indicating Fe-rich environment.

Fe enrichment likely from hypernovae or pair-instability supernovae.

Supports connection between early galaxies and globular clusters.

Abstract

We present an [O/Fe] ratio of a luminous galaxy GN-z11 at $z=10.60$ derived with the deep public JWST/NIRSpec data. We fit the medium-resolution grating (G140M, G235M, and G395M) data with the model spectra consisting of BPASS-stellar and CLOUDY-nebular spectra in the rest-frame UV wavelength ranges with Fe absorption lines, carefully masking out the other emission and absorption lines in the same manner as previous studies conducted for lower redshift ($z\sim 2-6$) galaxies with oxygen abundance measurements. We obtain an Fe-rich abundance ratio $\mathrm{[O/Fe]}=-0.37^{+0.43}_{-0.22}$, which is confirmed with the independent deep prism data as well as by the classic 1978 index method. This [O/Fe] measurement is lower than measured for star-forming galaxies at $z\sim 2-3$. Because $z=10.60$ is an early epoch after the Big Bang ($\sim 430$ Myr) and the first star formation (likely $\sim 200$ Myr), it is difficult to produce Fe by Type Ia supernovae (SNeIa) requiring sufficient delay time for white-dwarf formation and gas accretion. The Fe-rich abundance ratio in GN-z11 suggests that the delay time is short, or that the major Fe enrichment is not accomplished by SNeIa but bright hypernovae (BrHNe) and/or pair-instability supernovae (PISNe), where the yield models of BrHNe and PISNe explain Fe, Ne, and O abundance ratios of GN-z11. The [O/Fe] measurement is not too low to rule out the connection between GN-z11 and globular clusters (GCs) previously suggested by the nitrogen abundance, but rather supports the connection with a GC population at high [N/O] if a metal dilution process exists.