Kavli Affiliate: Jinyi Shangguan
| First 5 Authors: Juan M. Espejo Salcedo, Stavros Pastras, Josef Vácha, Claudia Pulsoni, Reinhard Genzel
| Summary:
How radial flows shape galaxy structure and evolution remains an open
question. Internal drivers of such flows, such as bars and spiral arms, known
to mediate gas flows in the local Universe, are now observable at high redshift
thanks to JWST’s unobscured view. We investigate the morphology of massive
star-forming galaxies at 0.8 < z < 1.3 and 2.0 < z < 2.5, epochs marking the
peak and decline of cosmic star formation, both well-covered by kinematic
surveys. Using JWST/NIRCam imaging, we visually classify 1,451 galaxies,
identify non-axisymmetric features, count the number of spiral arms, analyze
non-parametric morphological indicators and study the dynamical support of the
sample covered by kinematics (10% of the sample) as measured via v/{sigma}.
Disk galaxies dominate the sample (82%), with 48% exhibiting spiral structure
and 11% hosting bars. Both fractions decline with redshift, consistent with
previous studies. The proportion of two- and three-armed spirals remains
largely unchanged across redshift, with roughly two-thirds showing two arms and
one-third showing three arms in both bins. Notably, we find a higher incidence
of three-armed spirals than reported in the local Universe, suggesting a mild
evolution in spiral arm multiplicity. Non-parametric morphological metrics
strongly correlate with stellar mass but show no significant redshift
evolution. Finally, kinematic analysis reveals a strong correlation between
disk morphology and rotational support, with most disks exhibiting v/{sigma} >
3 and median values of v/{sigma} > 7 for spirals and v/{sigma} > 5 for barred
galaxies. This study establishes a population-wide framework for linking galaxy
morphology and dynamics at cosmic noon, providing a key reference for future
studies on the role of detailed structural features in galaxy evolution.
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