JADES NIRSpec Spectroscopy of GN-z11: Lyman-alpha emission and possible enhanced nitrogen abundance in a z = 10.60 luminous galaxy
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- Published on 11 September 2023
Vol. 677
4. Extragalactic astronomy
JADES NIRSpec Spectroscopy of GN-z11: Lyman-alpha emission and possible enhanced nitrogen abundance in a z = 10.60 luminous galaxy
This paper presents NIRSpec JWST spectroscopic observations of GN-z11, one of the most distant and luminous confirmed galaxies at z>10. At these high redshifts, the intergalactic medium is expected to be highly neutral, and as such it should prevent the transmission of the Ly alpha emission line from any galaxy. However, spatially extended Ly alpha emission is observed, and the authors argue that the visibility of the line might be due to a powerful outflow present in this source. The NIRSpec spectrum of GN-z11 is remarkably rich with emission lines, enabling the study of interstellar medium properties at z > 10. One possible explanation of the observed high ionization lines is that the object is powered by an active galactic nucleus. Alternatively, if this galaxy is indeed powered by star formation, the Balmer emission lines and blue UV continuum suggest a current star formation rate of ∼ 30 M_sun/year and low dust attenuation. Overall, this work is a remarkable example of how JWST is enabling detailed physical and chemical properties to be derived for galaxies formed within the first few hundred million years after the Big Bang.