Photometric detection at 7.7 μm of a galaxy beyond redshift 14 with JWST/MIRI

Journal article

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has spectroscopically confirmed numerous galaxies at z > 10. While weak rest-frame ultraviolet emission lines have only been seen in a handful of sources, the stronger rest-frame optical emission lines are highly diagnostic and accessible at mid-infrared wavelengths with the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) of JWST. We report the photometric detection of the distant spectroscopically confirmed galaxy JADES-GS-z14-0 at z=14.32−0.20+0.08 with MIRI at 7.7 μm. The most plausible solution for the stellar-population properties is that this galaxy contains half a billion solar masses in stars with a strong burst of star formation in the most recent few million years. For this model, at least one-third of the flux at 7.7 μm originates from the rest-frame optical emission lines Hβ and/or [O iii]λλ4959, 5007. The inferred properties of JADES-GS-z14-0 suggest rapid mass assembly and metal enrichment during the earliest phases of galaxy formation. This work demonstrates the unique power of mid-infrared observations in understanding galaxies at the redshift frontier.

Authors: Helton, JM; Rieke, GH; Alberts, S; Wu, Z; Eisenstein, DJ

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Nature Research
• Journal: Nature Astronomy
• Volume: 9
• Issue: 5
• Pages: 729-740
• Publication date: 2025-03-07
• Acceptance date: 2025-02-06
• DOI: 10.1038/s41550-025-02503-z
• EISSN: 2397-3366
• ISSN: 2397-3366
• Language: English