Denys Wilkinson Building, Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3RH
Lawrence Clark - Lawrence.selmons-clark@physics.ox.ac.uk
Star formation and growth of early galaxies
Abstract: After successful deployment and commissioning, JWST has now been delivering data for nearly two years. I will give an overview of the first-year surprises and discoveries, zooming in on some of the earliest galaxies and presenting new results on the spatially resolved growth histories of high-redshift galaxies. Specifically, I will discuss the structural and stellar population properties of the galaxies at the redshift frontier, with redshifts z>10. I will then connect the mode of star formation with the early enrichment of galaxies: for galaxies where we have constraints on the gas-phase metallicity (at redshift of z=8), I will show how star-bursting galaxies can have different gas-phase metallicities due to internal and external mechanisms that drive the starburst. Finally, I will focus on the structural evolution of galaxies, presenting how dense stellar cores form within galaxies at z>7. I will wrap up by highlighting what JWST will be able to deliver regarding the black hole - galaxy co-evolution in the upcoming years.