Accelerated evolution of galaxy host halo masses during Cosmic Dawn from deep JWST clustering
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: ABSTRACT We present the deepest clustering analysis of early galaxies to date, analysing $N_{\rm {g}} \simeq 6500$ photometrically-selected Lyman Break Galaxies from JWST’s Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey (JADES) to reveal how galaxies and dark matter evolved during cosmic dawn ($5 \le z < 11$). Using halo occupation distribution (HOD) modelling of the two-point angular correlation function, we trace the galaxy–halo relationships across the first billion years of cosmic history. Our analysis reveals that galaxies at $z = 10.6$ reside in dark matter haloes over an order of magnitude less massive ($M_{\rm {h}} \sim 10^{10.12}\, {\rm M}_{\odot }$) than their counterparts at $z = 5.5$ ($M_{\rm {h}} \sim 10^{11.45}\, {\rm M}_{\odot }$), while exhibiting correspondingly higher effective bias values ($b_{\rm {g}}^{\rm {eff}} = 8.13^{+0.04}_{-0.02}$ compared to $5.64^{+0.10}_{-0.13}$). Correspondingly, the satellite galaxy fraction hints at a declining trend with decreasing redshift, reaching $< 1~{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ by $z \sim 5-6$. However, the significant systematic and random uncertainties in the data-model comparison prevent us from drawing robust conclusions on the evolution - if any - of the satellite fraction during the epoch of reionization. These results provide the first view of the coevolution between galaxies and dark matter evolved at redshift $\gtrsim 10$, offering additional and independent constraints on early galaxy formation models tuned to reproducing luminosity function evolution.
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,046
OpenAlex ID: W7119048577