Ionised gas kinematics and dynamical masses of z & 6 galaxies from JADES/NIRSpec high-resolution spectroscopy

We explore the kinematic gas properties of six 5.5 < z < 7.4 galaxies in the JWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey (JADES), using high-resolution JWST/NIRSpec multi-object spectroscopy of the rest-frame optical emission lines [Oiii] and Hα. The objects are small and of low stellar mass (∼1 kpc; M_∗ ∼ 10⁷⁻⁹ M ), less massive than any galaxy studied kinematically at z > 1 thus far. The cold gas masses implied by the observed star formation rates are about ten times higher than the stellar masses. We find that their ionised gas is spatially resolved by JWST, with evidence for broadened lines and spatial velocity gradients. Using a simple thin-disc model, we fit these data with a novel forward-modelling software that accounts for the complex geometry, point spread function, and pixellation of the NIRSpec instrument. We find the sample to include both rotation- and dispersion-dominated structures, as we detect velocity gradients of v(r_e) ∼ 100−150 km s⁻¹, and we find velocity dispersions of σ₀ ∼ 30−70 km s⁻¹ that are comparable to those at cosmic noon. The dynamical masses implied by these models (M_dyn ∼ 10⁹⁻¹⁰ M ) are higher than the stellar masses by up to a factor 40, and they are higher than the total baryonic mass (gas + stars) by a factor of ∼3. Qualitatively, this result is robust even if the observed velocity gradients reflect ongoing mergers rather than rotating discs. Unless the observed emission line kinematics is dominated by outflows, this implies that the centres of these galaxies are dominated by dark matter or that star formation is three times less efficient, leading to higher inferred gas masses.