The brightest galaxies at cosmic dawn
University of Copenhagen · The University of Melbourne · +3 more institutions
Abstract
ABSTRACT Recent JWST observations suggest an excess of z ≳ 10 galaxy candidates above most theoretical models. Here, we explore how the interplay between halo formation time-scales, star formation efficiency, and dust attenuation affects the properties and number densities of galaxies observed in the early Universe. To guide intuition, we calculate the theoretical upper limit on the UV luminosity function (LF), assuming star formation is 100 per cent efficient and all gas in haloes is converted into stars, and that galaxies are at the peak age for UV emission (∼10 Myr). This upper limit is ∼4 orders of magnitude greater than current observations, implying no formal tension with star formation in Lambda cold…
Citation impact
- FWCI
- 35.42
- Percentile
- 100%
- References
- 95
Authors
3Topics & keywords
- Physics
- Galaxy
- Astronomy
- COSMIC cancer database
- Astrophysics