TY - JOUR
T1 - The Mass-Metallicity Relation of Dwarf Galaxies at Cosmic Noon from JWST Observations
AU - Li, Mingyu
AU - Cai, Zheng
AU - Bian, Fuyan
AU - Lin, Xiaojing
AU - Li, Zihao
AU - Wu, Yunjing
AU - Sun, Fengwu
AU - Zhang, Shiwu
AU - Golden-Marx, Emmet
AU - Sun, Zechang
AU - Zou, Siwei
AU - Fan, Xiaohui
AU - Egami, Eiichi
AU - Charlot, Stephane
AU - Bruzual, Gustavo
AU - Chevallard, Jacopo
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society.
PY - 2023/9/1
Y1 - 2023/9/1
N2 - We present a study of the mass-metallicity relation (MZR) of 51 dwarf galaxies (M ⋆ ≈ 106.5-109.5 M ⊙) at z = 2-3 from the A2744 and SMACS J0723-3732 galaxy cluster fields. These dwarf galaxies are identified and confirmed by deep JWST/NIRISS imaging and slitless grism spectroscopic observations. By taking advantage of the superior performance of JWST and the gravitational lensing effect, we extend the previous MZR relation at z = 2-3 to a much lower-mass regime down by ≈2.5 orders of magnitude as compared with previous studies. We find that the MZR has a shallower slope at the low-mass end (M ⋆ < 109 M ⊙), with a slope turnover point of ≈109 M ⊙. This implies that the dominating feedback processes in dwarf galaxies may be different from that in massive galaxies. From z = 3, to z = 2, the metallicity of the dwarf galaxies is enhanced by ≈0.09 dex for a given stellar mass, consistent with the mild evolution found in galaxies with higher mass. Furthermore, we confirm the existence of a fundamental metallicity relation (FMR) between the gas-phase metallicity, stellar mass, and star formation rate in dwarf galaxies at z = 2-3. Our derived FMR, which has no significant redshift evolution, can be used as a benchmark to understand the origin of the anticorrelation between the star formation rate and metallicity of dwarf galaxies in the high-z Universe.
AB - We present a study of the mass-metallicity relation (MZR) of 51 dwarf galaxies (M ⋆ ≈ 106.5-109.5 M ⊙) at z = 2-3 from the A2744 and SMACS J0723-3732 galaxy cluster fields. These dwarf galaxies are identified and confirmed by deep JWST/NIRISS imaging and slitless grism spectroscopic observations. By taking advantage of the superior performance of JWST and the gravitational lensing effect, we extend the previous MZR relation at z = 2-3 to a much lower-mass regime down by ≈2.5 orders of magnitude as compared with previous studies. We find that the MZR has a shallower slope at the low-mass end (M ⋆ < 109 M ⊙), with a slope turnover point of ≈109 M ⊙. This implies that the dominating feedback processes in dwarf galaxies may be different from that in massive galaxies. From z = 3, to z = 2, the metallicity of the dwarf galaxies is enhanced by ≈0.09 dex for a given stellar mass, consistent with the mild evolution found in galaxies with higher mass. Furthermore, we confirm the existence of a fundamental metallicity relation (FMR) between the gas-phase metallicity, stellar mass, and star formation rate in dwarf galaxies at z = 2-3. Our derived FMR, which has no significant redshift evolution, can be used as a benchmark to understand the origin of the anticorrelation between the star formation rate and metallicity of dwarf galaxies in the high-z Universe.
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U2 - 10.3847/2041-8213/acf470
DO - 10.3847/2041-8213/acf470
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85173943871
SN - 2041-8205
VL - 955
JO - Astrophysical Journal Letters
JF - Astrophysical Journal Letters
IS - 1
M1 - L18
ER -