TY - JOUR
T1 - Even redder than we knew
T2 - Color and AV evolution up to z = 2.5 from JWST/NIRCam photometry
AU - Van Der Wel, A.
AU - Martorano, M.
AU - Marchesini, D.
AU - Wuyts, S.
AU - Bell, E. F.
AU - Meidt, S. E.
AU - Gebek, A.
AU - Brammer, G. B.
AU - Whitaker, K. E.
AU - Bezanson, R.
AU - Nelson, E. J.
AU - Rudnick, G. H.
AU - Kriek, M.
AU - Leja, J.
AU - Dunlop, J. S.
AU - Casey, C. M.
AU - Kartaltepe, J. S.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Authors 2025.
PY - 2025/9/1
Y1 - 2025/9/1
N2 - Aims. JWST/NIRCam provides rest-frame near-IR photometry of galaxies up to z=-2.5 with exquisite depth and accuracy. This affords us an unprecedented view of the evolution of the UV/optical/near-IR color distribution and its interpretation in terms of the evolving dust attenuation, AV. Methods. We used the value-added data products (photometric redshift, stellar mass, rest-frame U-V and V-J colors, and AV) provided by the public DAWN JWST Archive. These data products derive from fitting the spectral energy distributions obtained from multiple NIRCam imaging surveys, augmented with preexisting HST imaging data. Our sample consists of a stellar-mass-complete sample of ≈28 000M∗ > -109 M⊙ galaxies in the redshift range 0.5 < z < -2.5. Results. The V-J color distribution of star-forming galaxies evolves strongly, in particular for high-mass galaxies (M∗ > 3 × -1010 M⊙), which have a pronounced tail of very red galaxies reaching V-J > -2.5 at z > -1.5 that does not exist at z < -1. Such red V-J can only be explained by dust attenuation, with typical values for M∗ ≈ 1011 M⊙ galaxies in the range AV ≈ 1.5-3.5 at z ≈ 2. This redshift evolution went largely unnoticed before. Today, however, photometric redshift estimates for the reddest (V-J > -2.5), most attenuated galaxies have markedly improved thanks to the new, precise photometry, which is in much better agreement with the 25 available spectroscopic redshifts for such galaxies. The reddest population readily stands out as the independently identified population of galaxies detected at submillimeter wavelengths. Despite the increased attenuation, U-V colors across the entire mass range are slightly bluer at higher z. A well-defined and tight color sequence exists at redshifts 0.5 < z < 2.5 for M∗ > 3 × 1010 M⊙ quiescent galaxies, in both U-V and V-J, but in V-J it is bluer rather than redder compared to star-forming galaxies. In conclusion, whereas the rest-frame UV-optical color distribution evolves remarkably little from z = 0.5 to z=2.5, the rest-frame optical/near-IR color distribution evolves strongly, primarily due to a very substantial increase with redshift in dust attenuation for massive galaxies.
AB - Aims. JWST/NIRCam provides rest-frame near-IR photometry of galaxies up to z=-2.5 with exquisite depth and accuracy. This affords us an unprecedented view of the evolution of the UV/optical/near-IR color distribution and its interpretation in terms of the evolving dust attenuation, AV. Methods. We used the value-added data products (photometric redshift, stellar mass, rest-frame U-V and V-J colors, and AV) provided by the public DAWN JWST Archive. These data products derive from fitting the spectral energy distributions obtained from multiple NIRCam imaging surveys, augmented with preexisting HST imaging data. Our sample consists of a stellar-mass-complete sample of ≈28 000M∗ > -109 M⊙ galaxies in the redshift range 0.5 < z < -2.5. Results. The V-J color distribution of star-forming galaxies evolves strongly, in particular for high-mass galaxies (M∗ > 3 × -1010 M⊙), which have a pronounced tail of very red galaxies reaching V-J > -2.5 at z > -1.5 that does not exist at z < -1. Such red V-J can only be explained by dust attenuation, with typical values for M∗ ≈ 1011 M⊙ galaxies in the range AV ≈ 1.5-3.5 at z ≈ 2. This redshift evolution went largely unnoticed before. Today, however, photometric redshift estimates for the reddest (V-J > -2.5), most attenuated galaxies have markedly improved thanks to the new, precise photometry, which is in much better agreement with the 25 available spectroscopic redshifts for such galaxies. The reddest population readily stands out as the independently identified population of galaxies detected at submillimeter wavelengths. Despite the increased attenuation, U-V colors across the entire mass range are slightly bluer at higher z. A well-defined and tight color sequence exists at redshifts 0.5 < z < 2.5 for M∗ > 3 × 1010 M⊙ quiescent galaxies, in both U-V and V-J, but in V-J it is bluer rather than redder compared to star-forming galaxies. In conclusion, whereas the rest-frame UV-optical color distribution evolves remarkably little from z = 0.5 to z=2.5, the rest-frame optical/near-IR color distribution evolves strongly, primarily due to a very substantial increase with redshift in dust attenuation for massive galaxies.
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105015036985
UR - https://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=105015036985&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1051/0004-6361/202555488
DO - 10.1051/0004-6361/202555488
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:105015036985
SN - 0004-6361
VL - 701
JO - Astronomy and Astrophysics
JF - Astronomy and Astrophysics
M1 - A30
ER -