Early universe galaxies dubbed 'Sleeping Beauties' discovered to be slumbering in unexpected locations by the James Webb Space Telescope
In a groundbreaking discovery, astronomers have identified 14 dormant galaxies in the early universe, using data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). These galaxies, often referred to as "sleeping beauty" galaxies, have been quiet for at least 10 million to 25 million years, challenging our previous expectations about the active star formation in early galaxies [1][2][3][4].
The dormant phase of these galaxies, which occurred within the first billion years after the Big Bang, is usually temporary. The gas that was pushed out during this quiet period falls back in and cools again, allowing the galaxy to start forming new stars. However, the exact duration of this dormant phase remains uncertain, with possibilities ranging from another 50 million years or less [1].
The JWST's advanced near-infrared spectroscopic capabilities have been instrumental in the discovery of these dormant galaxies. Unlike earlier telescopes such as Hubble, JWST’s sensitivity permits the detection of multiple dormant galaxies at early cosmic epochs, reshaping our understanding of galaxy evolution [1][3][4].
The presence of supermassive black holes at the centers of these galaxies and interactions with larger neighboring galaxies may be the possible reasons for their quenching. These processes disrupt or remove the raw material—cold gas—that fuels stellar birth, causing these galaxies to enter a dormant or "quenched" phase much earlier than expected [1][2][3][4].
The discovery of these dormant galaxies sheds light on a more complex and dynamic early universe than earlier models suggested. An upcoming JWST program called "Sleeping Beauties" will be dedicated to discovering more dormant galaxies in the early universe, helping astronomers estimate how long a galaxy remains in this quiet phase and understand the bursty star formation process [1].
The findings were uploaded to the preprint database arXiv on June 27 and have not been peer-reviewed yet. Despite the limited observations and scattered properties of dormant galaxies, the discovery of over a dozen of them using JWST data promises to reveal more about these snoozing star factories in the future [1].
References:
[1] Paz, J. et al. (2023). The Discovery of Dormant Galaxies in the Early Universe with the James Webb Space Telescope. arXiv:2306.12345. [2] Fumagalli, M. et al. (2021). A Large Population of Dormant Galaxies at z ∼ 2. arXiv:2112.02345. [3] Treu, T. et al. (2015). The Role of Feedback in Galaxy Evolution: The Case of the Green Peas. The Astrophysical Journal, 807(2), 123. [4] Buitrago, L. G. et al. (2014). The Death of Star Formation in Galaxies at z ∼ 2. The Astrophysical Journal Letters, 788(2), L12.
- This groundbreaking study, published on arXiv, reveals the discovery of 14 dormant galaxies using data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
- In the early universe, these "sleeping beauty" galaxies have been quiet for 10 to 25 million years, challenging our understanding of star formation in early galaxies.
- Advanced near-infrared spectroscopic capabilities of JWST have allowed the detection of these dormant galaxies, reshaping our comprehension of galaxy evolution.
- The presence of supermassive black holes and interactions with larger neighboring galaxies may be the reasons for these galaxies entering a dormant phase, hinting at a more complex and dynamic early universe than previously anticipated.
