Spectroscopic Confirmation of CEERS NIRCam-selected Galaxies at z ≃ 8–10

Abstract We present JWST/NIRSpec prism spectroscopy of seven galaxies selected from Cosmic Evolution Early Release Science (CEERS) survey NIRCam imaging with photometric redshifts z phot > 8. We measure emission line redshifts of z = 7.65 and 8.64 for two galaxies. For two other sources without securely detected emission lines we measure z = 9.77 − 0.29 + 0.37 and 10.01 − 0.19 + 0.14 by fitting model spectral templates to the prism data, from which we detect continuum breaks consistent with Ly α opacity from a mostly neutral intergalactic medium. The presence of strong breaks and the absence of strong emission lines give high confidence that these two galaxies have redshifts z > 9.6,…

• NS
  National Science Foundation
• NA
  National Aeronautics and Space Administration

  Awards: JWST-ERS-1345, NAS5-03127
• ST
  Space Telescope Science Institute

  Awards: NAS5-03127, JWST-ERS-1345
• SA
  Science and Technology Facilities Council

  Award: ST/X001040/1