The mass-metallicity relation as a ruler for galaxy evolution: insights from the James Webb Space Telescope

2024/07/31 by A. Pallottini, Pallottini, A., Andrea Ferrara +13 · 7 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomy and Astrophysical Research #Astrophysics of Galaxies (astro-ph.GA) #Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics (astro-ph.CO) #FOS: Physical sciences #History and Developments in Astronomy #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies

paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2408.00061

openalex publication_date 2024/07/31 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28

Abstract

Galaxy evolution emerges from the balance between cosmic gas accretion, fueling star formation, and supernova (SN) feedback, regulating the metal enrichment. Hence, the stellar mass (M_*) - gas metallicity relation (MZR) is key to understanding the physics of galaxies. High-quality JWST data enable accurate measurements of the MZR up to redshift z=10. Our aims are to understand the observed MZR, its connection with the star formation rate (SFR), the role played by SFR stochasticity, and how it is regulated by SN feedback. We compare the MZR from the JADES, CEERS, and UNCOVER surveys, which comprise about 180 galaxies at z=3-10 with 10⁶

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