---
DOAJ_listed: '1'
OA_place: publisher
OA_type: diamond
PlanS_conform: '1'
_id: '23048'
abstract:
- lang: eng
text: The previously inaccessible star formation tracer Paschen-Alpha (Paα) can
now be spatially resolved by JWST NIRCam slitless spectroscopy in distant galaxies
up to cosmic noon. In the first study of its kind, we combine JWST NGDEEP NIRISS
and FRESCO NIRCam slitless spectroscopy to provide the first direct comparison
of spatially resolved dust-obscured (traced by Paα) versus unobscured (traced
by Hα) star formation across the main sequence. We stacked Paα and Hα emission-line
maps, along with stellar continuum images at both wavelengths of 31 galaxies at
1 < z < 1.8 in three bins of stellar mass spanning 7.7 ≤ log(M*/M⊙) < 11. Surface
brightness profiles were measured and equivalent width (EW) profiles computed.
Increasing Paα and Hα EW profiles with galactocentric radius across all stellar
masses probed provides direct evidence for the inside-out growth of galaxies both
via dust-obscured and unobscured star formation for the first time. For galaxies
predominantly on the main sequence (log(M*/M⊙)≥8.8), a weakly positive (0.1 ± 0.1)
Paα/Hα line profile gradient as a function of radius is found at 8.8 ≤ log(M*/M⊙)
< 9.9, with a negative (−0.4 ± 0.1) Paα/Hα line profile gradient as a function
of radius found at the highest stellar masses of 9.9 ≤ log(M*/M⊙) < 11.0. Low-mass
galaxies (7.7 ≤ log(M*/M⊙) < 8.8) with predominantly high specific star formation
rates relative to the main sequence are also found to have a negative (−0.5 ± 0.1)
Paα/Hα line profile gradient as a function of radius. Our results demonstrate
that while inside-out growth via star formation is ubiquitous across the main
sequence just after cosmic noon, centrally concentrated dust attenuation is not.
Along with other recent work in the literature, our findings now motivate future
studies of resolved SFR and dust attenuation profiles in large samples of individual
cosmic noon galaxies across the main sequence, aimed at understanding the intrinsic
scatter in spatially resolved star formation.
acknowledgement: 'JM is grateful to the Max Planck Society for the MPIA Prize Fellowship
and to the Cosmic Dawn Center for the DAWN Fellowship. This work is based on observations
made with the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope. The raw data were obtained
from the Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes at the Space Telescope Science Institute,
which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy,
Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-03127 for JWST. These observations are associated
with JWST Cycle 1 GO programs #1895 and #2079. Support for both programs was provided
by NASA through a grant from the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated
by the Associations of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Incorporated, under
NASA contract NAS5-26555. The Cosmic Dawn Center (DAWN) is funded by the Danish
National Research Foundation under grant DNRF140. This work has received funding
from the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) under
contract number MB22.00072, as well as from the Swiss National Science Foundation
(SNSF) through project grant 200020_207349. This work benefited from support from
the George P. and Cynthia Woods Mitchell Institute for Fundamental Physics and Astronomy
at Texas A&M University. CP thanks Marsha and Ralph Schilling for generous support
of this research.'
article_number: A33
article_processing_charge: No
article_type: original
arxiv: 1
author:
- first_name: Jasleen
full_name: Matharu, Jasleen
last_name: Matharu
- first_name: Lu
full_name: Shen, Lu
last_name: Shen
- first_name: Irene
full_name: Shivaei, Irene
last_name: Shivaei
- first_name: Pascal A.
full_name: Oesch, Pascal A.
last_name: Oesch
- first_name: Casey
full_name: Papovich, Casey
last_name: Papovich
- first_name: Gabriel
full_name: Brammer, Gabriel
last_name: Brammer
- first_name: Naveen A.
full_name: Reddy, Naveen A.
last_name: Reddy
- first_name: Yingjie
full_name: Cheng, Yingjie
last_name: Cheng
- first_name: Pieter
full_name: Van Dokkum, Pieter
last_name: Van Dokkum
- first_name: Steven L.
full_name: Finkelstein, Steven L.
last_name: Finkelstein
- first_name: Nimish P.
full_name: Hathi, Nimish P.
last_name: Hathi
- first_name: Jeyhan S.
full_name: Kartaltepe, Jeyhan S.
last_name: Kartaltepe
- first_name: Anton M.
full_name: Koekemoer, Anton M.
last_name: Koekemoer
- first_name: Jorryt J
full_name: Matthee, Jorryt J
id: 7439a258-f3c0-11ec-9501-9df22fe06720
last_name: Matthee
orcid: 0000-0003-2871-127X
- first_name: Nor
full_name: Pirzkal, Nor
last_name: Pirzkal
- first_name: Stephen M.
full_name: Wilkins, Stephen M.
last_name: Wilkins
- first_name: Michael A.
full_name: Wozniak, Michael A.
last_name: Wozniak
- first_name: Mengyuan
full_name: Xiao, Mengyuan
last_name: Xiao
citation:
ama: Matharu J, Shen L, Shivaei I, et al. A first look at a complete view of spatially
resolved star formation at 1 < z < 1.8 with JWST NGDEEP+FRESCO slitless
spectroscopy. Astronomy and Astrophysics. 2026;708. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202558205
apa: Matharu, J., Shen, L., Shivaei, I., Oesch, P. A., Papovich, C., Brammer, G.,
… Xiao, M. (2026). A first look at a complete view of spatially resolved star
formation at 1 < z < 1.8 with JWST NGDEEP+FRESCO slitless spectroscopy.
Astronomy and Astrophysics. EDP Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202558205
chicago: Matharu, Jasleen, Lu Shen, Irene Shivaei, Pascal A. Oesch, Casey Papovich,
Gabriel Brammer, Naveen A. Reddy, et al. “A First Look at a Complete View of Spatially
Resolved Star Formation at 1 < z < 1.8 with JWST NGDEEP+FRESCO Slitless
Spectroscopy.” Astronomy and Astrophysics. EDP Sciences, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202558205.
ieee: J. Matharu et al., “A first look at a complete view of spatially resolved
star formation at 1 < z < 1.8 with JWST NGDEEP+FRESCO slitless spectroscopy,”
Astronomy and Astrophysics, vol. 708. EDP Sciences, 2026.
ista: Matharu J, Shen L, Shivaei I, Oesch PA, Papovich C, Brammer G, Reddy NA, Cheng
Y, Van Dokkum P, Finkelstein SL, Hathi NP, Kartaltepe JS, Koekemoer AM, Matthee
JJ, Pirzkal N, Wilkins SM, Wozniak MA, Xiao M. 2026. A first look at a complete
view of spatially resolved star formation at 1 < z < 1.8 with JWST
NGDEEP+FRESCO slitless spectroscopy. Astronomy and Astrophysics. 708, A33.
mla: Matharu, Jasleen, et al. “A First Look at a Complete View of Spatially Resolved
Star Formation at 1 < z < 1.8 with JWST NGDEEP+FRESCO Slitless Spectroscopy.”
Astronomy and Astrophysics, vol. 708, A33, EDP Sciences, 2026, doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202558205.
short: J. Matharu, L. Shen, I. Shivaei, P.A. Oesch, C. Papovich, G. Brammer, N.A.
Reddy, Y. Cheng, P. Van Dokkum, S.L. Finkelstein, N.P. Hathi, J.S. Kartaltepe,
A.M. Koekemoer, J.J. Matthee, N. Pirzkal, S.M. Wilkins, M.A. Wozniak, M. Xiao,
Astronomy and Astrophysics 708 (2026).
das_tickbox: '0'
date_created: 2026-10-04T22:01:55Z
date_published: 2026-04-01T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2026-10-12T07:44:07Z
day: '01'
ddc:
- '520'
department:
- _id: JoMa
doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/202558205
external_id:
arxiv:
- '2511.15792'
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intvolume: ' 708'
language:
- iso: eng
month: '04'
oa: 1
oa_version: Published Version
publication: Astronomy and Astrophysics
publication_identifier:
eissn:
- 1432-0746
issn:
- 0004-6361
publication_status: published
publisher: EDP Sciences
quality_controlled: '1'
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supplementarymaterial: no
title: A first look at a complete view of spatially resolved star formation at 1 < z < 1.8
with JWST NGDEEP+FRESCO slitless spectroscopy
tmp:
image: /images/cc_by.png
legal_code_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode
name: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0)
short: CC BY (4.0)
type: journal_article
user_id: 2DF688A6-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
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...