Galaxy Quenching at the High Redshift Frontier: A Fundamental Test of Cosmological Models in the Early Universe with JWST-CEERS

Abstract

We present an analysis of the quenching of star formation in massive galaxies (M * > 109.5 M ⊙) within the first 0.5–3 Gyr of the Universe’s history utilizing JWST-CEERS data. We utilize a combination of advanced statistical methods to accurately constrain the intrinsic dependence of quenching in a multidimensional and intercorrelated parameter space. Specifically, we apply random forest classification, area statistics, and a partial correlation analysis to the JWST-CEERS data. First, we identify the key testable predictions from two state-of-the-art cosmological simulations (IllustrisTNG and EAGLE). Both simulations predict that quenching should be regulated by supermassive black hole mass in the early Universe. Furthermore, both simulations identify the stellar potential (ϕ *) as the optimal proxy for black hole mass in photometric data. In photometric observations, where we have no direct constraints on black hole masses, we find that the stellar potential is the most predictive parameter of massive galaxy quenching at all epochs from z = 0–8, exactly as predicted by simulations for this sample. The stellar potential outperforms stellar mass, galaxy size, galaxy density, and Sérsic index as a predictor of quiescence at all epochs probed in JWST-CEERS. Collectively, these results strongly imply a stable quenching mechanism operating throughout cosmic history, which is closely connected to the central gravitational potential in galaxies. This connection is explained in cosmological models via massive black holes forming and growing in deep potential wells, and subsequently quenching galaxies through a mix of ejective and preventative active galactic nucleus feedback.

The Redshift Evolution of the M •–M ⋆ Relation for JWST’s Supermassive Black Holes at z > 4

“…The basis of our model is that the black hole mass is the primary parameter that controls high-z star formation quenching. This premise is supported by recent analyses of JWST/ CEERS data with cosmological simulations (IllustrisTNG and EAGLE), showing that high-z galaxy quenching is primarily regulated by the mass of the SMBH (Piotrowska et al 2022;Bluck et al 2024). Previous cosmological simulations already showed that star formation quenching should scale with energy input from the central SMBH over the entire lifetime of the galaxy, which is proportional to the black hole mass (Terrazas et al 2020;Bluck et al 2024).…”

“…Understanding the high-redshift evolution of the scaling relations is fundamental for two reasons. First, it informs us about the physical processes that regulate the growth of the black hole and stellar component (see, e.g., Vogelsberger et al 2014;Schaye et al 2015;Weinberger et al 2017;Nelson et al 2018;Terrazas et al 2020;Piotrowska et al 2022;Bluck et al 2024). Second, it may inform us of the seeding mechanism that formed the central black hole in the first place.…”

The First Quenched Galaxies: When and How?

“…Additionally, the observational measurements should be intended as lower limits and can be significantly affected by selection, obscuration (Hickox & Alexander 2018). We also note that there have been many recent studies reporting discoveries of quenched galaxies hosting AGN (Ito et al 2022;Carnall et al 2023a;Bluck et al 2024), as well as several cases where AGN emission is absent (Jin et al 2024;Nanayakkara et al 2024), leaving this issue under debate.…”