New stack-based strong-line calibrations from ~1500 spectra yield mass-metallicity relations at z=1-10 with decreasing metallicity toward higher redshift and no slope change, plus 50 EMPG candidates at 1-4% solar metallicity showing large scatter and opposite sSFR trends.
What is Powering the Enigmatic He II Emitter Hebe: The First Stars or Black Holes?
3 Pith papers cite this work. Polarity classification is still indexing.
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abstract
Recent high-resolution spectroscopy with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has confirmed the presence of a strong He II $\lambda1640$ emitting clump in the vicinity of GN-z11, with only upper limits on its metallicity. To explain the peculiar properties of this source, now termed Hebe, a cluster of metal-free, Population III (Pop III) stars has been invoked. A less likely source for the hard UV ionizing radiation could be an accreting supermassive black hole (SMBH) embedded inside Hebe. We here provide further constraints on what could power the observed emission lines in Hebe. Comparing with cosmological simulations of Pop III star cluster formation, we assess the maximum Pop III stellar mass that could plausibly form at the location of Hebe, finding stellar masses of a few $10^5\,M_{\odot}$, consistent with those inferred from the observations. Modeling the continuum spectral energy distribution arising from an accreting SMBH, we derive He II and H I ionizing rates and the resulting recombination line luminosities, providing a less natural fit for the combined observations. We thus confirm the interpretation of Hebe as a remarkable, primordial object, with the most plausible power source provided by a massive cluster of Pop III stars, at the limit of what is allowed within the standard model of first star formation.
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UNVERDICTED 3representative citing papers
NEFERTITI simulations show that the Milky Way's most metal-poor stars largely come from a handful of accreted massive dwarf galaxies, while reproducing the JWST Hebe galaxy at z~11 as a pure Population III system.
A review of theoretical models for the first stars and observational strategies including JWST searches, near-field studies, and lensing, noting growing candidates and narrowing parameter space.
citing papers explorer
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JADES: the mass-metallicity relation at $z=1-10$. New calibrations, extremely metal-poor galaxies, and chemical diversity
New stack-based strong-line calibrations from ~1500 spectra yield mass-metallicity relations at z=1-10 with decreasing metallicity toward higher redshift and no slope change, plus 50 EMPG candidates at 1-4% solar metallicity showing large scatter and opposite sSFR trends.
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NEFERTITI: Linking early galaxy formation to the assembly of the Milky Way
NEFERTITI simulations show that the Milky Way's most metal-poor stars largely come from a handful of accreted massive dwarf galaxies, while reproducing the JWST Hebe galaxy at z~11 as a pure Population III system.
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How can we finally see the first light? Status and perspective in the search for Population III stars
A review of theoretical models for the first stars and observational strategies including JWST searches, near-field studies, and lensing, noting growing candidates and narrowing parameter space.