TY - JOUR

T1 - Early Results from GLASS-JWST. XVIII. A First Morphological Atlas of the 1 < z < 5 Universe in the Rest-frame Optical

AU - Jacobs, C.

AU - Glazebrook, K.

AU - Calabro, A.

AU - Treu, T.

AU - Nannayakkara, T.

AU - Jones, T.

AU - Merlin, E.

AU - Abraham, R.

AU - Stevens, A. R. H.

AU - Vulcani, B.

AU - Yang, L.

AU - Bonchi, A.

AU - Boyett, K.

AU - Bradac, M.

AU - Castellano, M.

AU - Fontana, A.

AU - Marchesini, D.

AU - Malkan, M.

AU - Mason, C.

AU - Morishita, T.

AU - Paris, D.

AU - Santini, P.

AU - Trenti, M.

AU - Wang, X.

PY - 2023/5/1

Y1 - 2023/5/1

N2 - We present a rest-frame optical morphological analysis of galaxies observed with the NIRCam imager on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) as part of the GLASS-JWST Early Release Science program. We select 388 sources at redshifts 0.8 < z < 5.4 and use the seven 0.9-5 mu m NIRCam filters to generate rest-frame gri composite color images, and conduct visual morphological classification. Compared to Hubble Space Telescope (HST)-based work we find a higher incidence of disks and bulges than expected at z > 1.5, revealed by rest-frame optical imaging. We detect 123 clear disks (58 at z > 1.5) of which 76 have bulges. No evolution of bulge fraction with redshift is evident: 61% at z < 2 (N = 110) versus 60% at z >= 2 (N = 13). A stellar mass dependence is evident, with bulges visible in 80% of all disk galaxies with mass >10(9.5) M (circle dot) (N = 41) but only 52% at M < 10(9.5) M (circle dot) (N = 82). We supplement visual morphologies with nonparametric measurements of Gini and asymmetry coefficients in the rest-frame i band. Our sources are more asymmetric than local galaxies, with slightly higher Gini values. When compared to high-z rest-frame ultraviolet measurements with HST, JWST shows more regular morphological types such as disks, bulges, and spiral arms at z > 1.5, with smoother (i.e., lower Gini) and more symmetrical light distributions.

AB - We present a rest-frame optical morphological analysis of galaxies observed with the NIRCam imager on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) as part of the GLASS-JWST Early Release Science program. We select 388 sources at redshifts 0.8 < z < 5.4 and use the seven 0.9-5 mu m NIRCam filters to generate rest-frame gri composite color images, and conduct visual morphological classification. Compared to Hubble Space Telescope (HST)-based work we find a higher incidence of disks and bulges than expected at z > 1.5, revealed by rest-frame optical imaging. We detect 123 clear disks (58 at z > 1.5) of which 76 have bulges. No evolution of bulge fraction with redshift is evident: 61% at z < 2 (N = 110) versus 60% at z >= 2 (N = 13). A stellar mass dependence is evident, with bulges visible in 80% of all disk galaxies with mass >10(9.5) M (circle dot) (N = 41) but only 52% at M < 10(9.5) M (circle dot) (N = 82). We supplement visual morphologies with nonparametric measurements of Gini and asymmetry coefficients in the rest-frame i band. Our sources are more asymmetric than local galaxies, with slightly higher Gini values. When compared to high-z rest-frame ultraviolet measurements with HST, JWST shows more regular morphological types such as disks, bulges, and spiral arms at z > 1.5, with smoother (i.e., lower Gini) and more symmetrical light distributions.

KW - DIGITAL SKY SURVEY

KW - STAR-FORMATION ACTIVITY

KW - EARLY-TYPE GALAXIES

KW - SIMILAR-TO 2

KW - MASSIVE GALAXIES

KW - DISTANT GALAXIES

KW - HUBBLE SEQUENCE

KW - SURVEY DESIGN

KW - DATA RELEASE

KW - DEEP FIELD

U2 - 10.3847/2041-8213/accd6d

DO - 10.3847/2041-8213/accd6d

M3 - Letter

VL - 948

JO - The Astrophysical Journal Letters

JF - The Astrophysical Journal Letters

SN - 2041-8205

IS - 2

M1 - 13

ER -