The AURORA Survey: Tracing Galactic Outflows at $z\gtrsim2.5$ with JWST/NIRSpec NUV Absorption Lines

TL;DR

This study uses JWST/NIRSpec to analyze galactic outflows at high redshift, revealing how outflow properties correlate with galaxy characteristics and comparing different ISM tracers across cosmic time.

Contribution

First direct comparison of outflow properties from early universe to present day using near-UV absorption lines in JWST data.

Findings

Outflows are more common in higher mass and dustier galaxies.

Maximum outflow velocities increase with stellar mass, SFR, and dust attenuation.

Mg II emission is prevalent in lower mass, less dusty, high sSFR galaxies.

Abstract

We probe galactic-scale outflows in star-forming galaxies at $z\gtrsim2.5$ drawn from the \textit{JWST}/NIRSpec AURORA program. For the first time, we directly compare outflow properties from the early universe to the present day using near-UV absorption lines. We measure ISM kinematics from Fe\,{\sc ii} and Mg\,{\sc ii} absorption features in 41 and 43 galaxies, respectively, and examine how these kinematics correlate with galaxy properties. We find that galaxies with outflows tend to have higher stellar masses, and that maximum outflow velocities increase with stellar mass, SFR, UV slope $\beta$, $E(B-V)$, and $A_V$. We also find that Mg\,{\sc ii} emission is more common in galaxies with lower masses, higher sSFRs, and less dust. These trends are consistent with those in star-forming galaxies at $z<2$ when using the same outflow tracers, suggesting that the feedback from star formation has played a persistent role in shaping galaxy evolution over cosmic time. We also directly compare near-UV and far-UV features in the same NIRSpec spectrum for a $z=5.19$ galaxy, finding consistent ISM kinematics and demonstrating that different tracers yield comparable measurements. We also detect Na\,D absorption in 10 galaxies, which have higher stellar mass, SFR, and dust attenuation compared to galaxies without Na\,D absorption, which is consistent with $z\sim0$ studies. The broad continuum coverage and sensitivity of NIRSpec will enable future studies with larger samples, allowing for robust tests of these trends across a wider dynamic range of galaxy properties.