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  • Hsiao, Tiger Yu-Yang; Abdurro'uf; Coe, Dan; Larson, Rebecca L; Jung, Intae; Mingozzi, Matilde; Dayal, Pratika; Kumari, Nimisha; Kokorev, Vasily; Vikaeus, Anton; Brammer, Gabriel; Furtak, Lukas J; Adamo, Angela; Andrade-Santos, Felipe; Antwi-Danso, Jacqueline; Bradac, Marusa; Bradley, Larry D; Broadhurst, Tom; Carnall, Adam C; Conselice, Christopher J; Diego, Jose M; Donahue, Megan; Eldridge, Jan J; Fujimoto, Seiji; Henry, Alaina; Hernandez, Svea; Hutchison, Taylor A; James, Bethan L; Norman, Colin; Park, Hyunbae; Pirzkal, Norbert; Postman, Marc; Ricotti, Massimo; Rigby, Jane R; Vanzella, Eros; Welch, Brian; Wilkins, Stephen M; Windhorst, Rogier A; Xu, Xinfeng; Zackrisson, Erik; Zitrin, Adi

    arXiv (Cornell University), 05/2023
    Journal Article

    We present JWST/NIRSpec prism spectroscopy of MACS0647-JD, the triply-lensed $z \sim 11$ candidate discovered in HST imaging and spatially resolved by JWST imaging into two components A and B. Spectroscopy of component A yields a spectroscopic redshift $z=10.17$ based on 7 detected emission lines: CIII $\lambda\lambda$1907,1909, OII $\lambda$3727, NeIII $\lambda$3869, NeIII $\lambda$3968, H$\delta$ $\lambda$4101, H$\gamma$ $\lambda$4340, and OIII $\lambda$4363. These are the second-most distant detections of these emission lines to date, in a galaxy observed just 460 million years after the Big Bang. Based on observed and extrapolated line flux ratios we derive a gas-phase metallicity $Z =$ log(O/H) = $7.5 - 8.0$, or $(0.06 - 0.2)$ $Z_\odot$, ionization parameter log($U$) $\sim -1.9\pm0.2$, and an ionizing photon production efficiency ${\rm log}(\xi_{\rm ion})=25.2\pm0.2\,$erg$^{-1}$ Hz. The spectrum has a softened Lyman-$\alpha$ break, evidence for a strong Ly$\alpha$ damping wing, suggesting that MACS0647-JD was unable to ionize its surroundings beyond its immediate vicinity ($R_{\text{HII}} \ll 1$ pMpc). The Ly$\alpha$ damping wing also suppresses the F150W photometry, explaining the slightly overestimated photometric redshift $z = 10.6 \pm 0.3$. MACS0647-JD has a stellar mass log($M/M_\odot$) = $8.1 \pm 0.3$, including $\sim$ 6$\times 10^7 M_\odot$ in component A, most of which formed recently (within $\sim$ 20 Myr) with a star formation rate $2\pm1 M_\odot$ / yr, all within an effective radius $70\pm24\,$pc. The smaller component B ($r \sim 20$) pc is likely older ($\sim$100 Myr) with more dust ($A_V \sim 0.1$ mag), as found previously. Spectroscopy of a fainter companion galaxy C separated by a distance of \about\ 3$\,$kpc reveals a Lyman break consistent with $z = 10.17$. MACS0647-JD is likely the most distant galaxy merger known.