FEAST: probing the stellar population of the starburst dwarf galaxy NGC4449 with JWST/NIRCam

TL;DR

This study uses JWST/NIRCam observations to analyze the diverse stellar populations and spatial distributions in the starburst galaxy NGC 4449, revealing insights into its star formation history and stellar evolution.

Contribution

First detailed JWST/NIRCam imaging of NGC 4449's stellar populations, uncovering spatial and evolutionary patterns and features like AGB star gaps and potential external influences.

Findings

Younger stars form an S-shaped distribution aligned with the galaxy's axis.

Older populations show more dispersed spatial distributions.

Identification of a clear gap between oxygen-rich and carbon-rich AGB stars.

Abstract

We present new JWST/NIRCam observations of the starburst irregular galaxy NGC 4449, obtained in Cycle 1 as part of the Feedback in Emerging extrAgalactic Star clusTers (FEAST) program, which we use to investigate its resolved stellar populations and their spatial distributions. NGC4449 NIR color-magnitude diagrams reveal a broad range of stellar populations, spanning different evolutionary phases, from young main sequence stars, to old red giant branch stars and asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars. The analysis of their spatial distributions shows that younger (< 10 Myr) populations form an S-shaped distribution aligned with the galaxy's north-south axis, while stars aged 10 - 60 Myr show shifting concentrations from the north to the south, consistent with the possibility that external interactions or tidal effects may have triggered star formation in spatially distinct bursts. Clusters of comparable ages generally follow these distributions, suggesting that cluster and field stars form at the same pace in each galaxy region. Thanks to the unprecedented high-spatial resolution and sensitivity of the JWST data we recover a clear gap between Oxygen-rich and the carbon star branch of the AGB population and the presence of a massive AGB star "finger". The analysis of these stars can provide constraints on AGB evolution models and dust production in this galaxy. These results confirms NGC 4449 status as a compelling example of a local dwarf starburst galaxy undergoing complex and possibly external driven star formation and underscore the power of JWST in probing the full lifecycle of stars in nearby starburst systems.