Abstract
We report the discovery of a large-scale structure at z = 3.44 revealed by JWST data in the Extended Groth Strip (EGS) field. This structure, called the Cosmic Vine, consists of 20 galaxies with spectroscopic redshifts at 3.43 < z < 3.45 and six galaxy overdensities (4−7σ) with consistent photometric redshifts, making up a vine-like structure extending over a ∼4 × 0.2 pMpc2 area. The two most massive galaxies (M∗ ≈ 1010.9 M ) of the Cosmic Vine are found to be quiescent with bulge-dominated morphologies (B/T > 70%). Comparisons with simulations suggest that the Cosmic Vine would form a cluster with halo mass Mhalo > 1014M at z = 0, and the two massive galaxies are likely forming the brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs). The results unambiguously reveal that massive quiescent galaxies can form in growing large-scale structures at z > 3, thus disfavoring the environmental quenching mechanisms that require a virialized cluster core. Instead, as suggested by the interacting and bulge-dominated morphologies, the two galaxies are likely quenched by merger-triggered starburst or active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback before falling into a cluster core. Moreover, we found that the observed specific star formation rates of massive quiescent galaxies in z > 3 dense environments are one to two orders of magnitude lower than that of the BCGs in the TNG300 simulation. This discrepancy potentially poses a challenge to the models of massive cluster galaxy formation. Future studies comparing a large sample with dedicated cluster simulations are required to solve the problem.
Original language | English |
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Article number | L4 |
Journal | Astronomy & Astrophysics |
Volume | 683 |
Number of pages | 10 |
ISSN | 0004-6361 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 29 Feb 2024 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© The Authors 2024.
Keywords
- galaxies: clusters: general
- galaxies: evolution
- galaxies: formation
- galaxies: high-redshift
- galaxies: structure