June 13, 2024 | D. Schaerer, R. Marques-Chaves, M. Xiao, D. Korber
A new N-emitter, GN-z9p4, was discovered at a redshift of z = 9.38, making it the third-highest redshift N-emitter known. This galaxy exhibits a strong UV-optical emission line spectrum dominated by the N IV] λ1486 line. Using the direct method, the metallicity of GN-z9p4 was determined to be 12 + log(O/H) = 7.37 ± 0.15, one of the lowest among N-emitters. The N/O abundance ratio is highly super-solar, while C/O and Ne/O are normal compared to other galaxies at low metallicity. GN-z9p4 is very compact, with an effective radius of 118 ± 16 pc at 2 μm, suggesting that N-emitters may be found in regions of extremely high stellar mass and SFR surface densities. The compactness and high stellar mass and SFR surface densities of N-emitters indicate that they may be rare and enigmatic objects. The study also shows that N-emitters have high ISM densities and are found in the high-end tail of the distribution of star-forming galaxies. The origin of the observed N-enrichment and other abundance ratios is still debated. The study concludes that approximately 1-2% of galaxies observed with JWST at z ≥ 5 are N-emitters, indicating that these objects are rare. The findings suggest that the high N/O abundance may be related to or found in the most compact star-forming regions or objects. The study also highlights the importance of further research to understand the origin of N-emitters and their physical processes.A new N-emitter, GN-z9p4, was discovered at a redshift of z = 9.38, making it the third-highest redshift N-emitter known. This galaxy exhibits a strong UV-optical emission line spectrum dominated by the N IV] λ1486 line. Using the direct method, the metallicity of GN-z9p4 was determined to be 12 + log(O/H) = 7.37 ± 0.15, one of the lowest among N-emitters. The N/O abundance ratio is highly super-solar, while C/O and Ne/O are normal compared to other galaxies at low metallicity. GN-z9p4 is very compact, with an effective radius of 118 ± 16 pc at 2 μm, suggesting that N-emitters may be found in regions of extremely high stellar mass and SFR surface densities. The compactness and high stellar mass and SFR surface densities of N-emitters indicate that they may be rare and enigmatic objects. The study also shows that N-emitters have high ISM densities and are found in the high-end tail of the distribution of star-forming galaxies. The origin of the observed N-enrichment and other abundance ratios is still debated. The study concludes that approximately 1-2% of galaxies observed with JWST at z ≥ 5 are N-emitters, indicating that these objects are rare. The findings suggest that the high N/O abundance may be related to or found in the most compact star-forming regions or objects. The study also highlights the importance of further research to understand the origin of N-emitters and their physical processes.