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We report the identification of two galaxy overdensities at $z\sim5.7$ in the sightline of the galaxy cluster Abell 2744. These overdensities consist of 25 and 17 member galaxies, spectroscopically confirmed with JWST NIRSpec/MSA and NIRCam/WFSS. Each overdensity has a total stellar mass of $\sim2\times10^{10} M_\odot$ and a star formation rate of $\sim200 M_\odot$/yr within a central region of radius $R=2$ Mpc (physical). The sensitive PRISM spectra allow us to identify six galaxies that show weak Ha+[NII] emissions within the overdensities ($27\pm6\%$), whereas the fraction of such galaxies is found significantly lower ($6\pm2\%$) in field samples of the equivalent redshift range. These weak emission line galaxies, dubbed as wELGs, exhibit a strong continuum break at $4000$AA rest-frame, a characteristic feature of evolved stellar populations. The high observed fraction of wELGs in the two overdensities is consistent with the idea that high-density environments are an ideal site where galaxies can accelerate their evolutionary pace compared to field analogs. Our study pinpoints an early onset of environmental effects, already important within one billion years after the Big Bang, and provides a complementary perspective on the emergence of quenched, massive galaxies at lower redshifts. Potential contributions from black hole accretion feedback to the reduction of star formation activity are discussed, but the connection to the local environments remains unclear., Comment: Submitted to ApJ

We have performed a systematic search for galaxy-scale strong lenses using Hyper Suprime-Cam imaging data, focusing on lenses in overdense environments. To identify these lens candidates, we exploit our neural network from HOLISMOKES VI, which is trained on realistic gri mock-images as positive examples, and real images as negative examples. Compared to our previous work, we lower the i-Kron radius limit to >0.5". This results in an increase by around 73 million sources to more than 135 million images. During our visual multi-stage grading of the network candidates, we now inspect simultaneously larger stamps (80"x80") to identify large, extended arcs cropped in the 10"x10" cutouts, and classify additionally their overall environment. Here we also reinspect our previous lens candidates and classify their environment. Using these 546 visually identified lens candidates, we further define various criteria by exploiting extensive and complementary photometric redshift catalogs, to select the candidates in overdensities. In total, we identified 24 grade-A and 138 grade-B candidates with either spatially-resolved multiple images or extended, distorted arcs in the new sample. Furthermore, with our different techniques, we identify in total 237/546 lens candidates in a cluster-like or overdense environment, containing only 49 group- or cluster-scale re-discoveries. These results demonstrate the feasibility of downloading and applying network classifiers to hundreds of million cutouts, necessary in the upcoming era of big data from deep, wide-field imaging surveys like Euclid and the Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time, while leading to a sample size that can be inspected by humans. These networks, with false-positive rates of ~0.01%, are very powerful tools to identify such rare galaxy-scale strong lensing systems, while also aiding in the discovery of new strong lensing clusters., Comment: 12+11 pages, 5+9 figures, 3+1 Tables, submitted to A&A, comments are welcome

We report JWST/NIRSpec observations of a star-forming galaxy at $z=2.76$, MACSJ1149-WR1. We securely detect two temperature-sensitive auroral lines, [SIII]6312 (7.4$\sigma$) and [OII]7320+7331 doublets (10$\sigma$), and tentatively [NII]5755 ($2.3\sigma$) for the first time in an individual galaxy at $z>1$. We perform a detailed analysis of its interstellar media (ISM), and derive electron temperatures, various heavy element abundances (O/H, N/O, S/O, and Ar/O) in the hot ionized region, and the neutral fraction in the warm ionized region. MACSJ1149-WR1 shows a broad feature at the wavelength of HeII 4686, which consists of a broad ($\sim1000$km/s), blue-shifted ($\sim-110$km/s) line component. Taken together with its mildly elevated N/O abundance, we conclude that MACSJ1149-WR1 is experiencing a young starburst ($<10$Myr), likely hosting a large number of Wolf-Rayet stars. None of its spectral features support the presence of AGN, including: $(i)$ the absence of broad components and velocity shifts in Hydrogen recombination lines, $(ii)$ low [FeII]${\rm 1.257 \mu m}$/Pa$\beta$ ratio, and $(iii)$ the absence of high-ionization lines. Our analysis using HeI lines reveals a higher electron temperature and a higher attenuation value, indicating that HeI may probe a smaller spatial scale than HI, presumably the region dominated by the aforementioned Wolf-Rayet stars. The star formation rates derived from various HeI lines broadly agree with those from Hydrogen recombination lines. We thus advocate that HeI can be an excellent, independent probe of multi-phase ISM in the era of JWST., Comment: Submitted to ApJ

We spectroscopically confirm the $M_{\rm UV} = -20.5$ mag galaxy GHZ2/GLASS-z12 to be at redshift $z=12.34$. The source was selected via NIRCam photometry in GLASS-JWST ERS data, providing the first evidence of a surprising abundance of bright galaxies at $z \gtrsim 10$. The NIRSpec PRISM spectrum shows detections of N IV, C IV, He II, O III, C III, O II, and Ne III lines, and the first detection at high-redshift of the O III Bowen fluorescence line at 3133 {\AA} rest-frame. The prominent C IV line with rest-frame equivalent width (EW) $\approx 46$ {\AA} puts GHZ2 in the category of extreme C IV emitters. GHZ2 displays UV lines with EWs that are only found in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) or composite objects at low/intermediate redshifts. The UV line-intensity ratios are compatible both with AGNs and star formation in a low-metallicity environment, with the low limit on the [Ne IV]/[N IV] ratio favoring a stellar origin of the ionizing photons. We discuss a possible scenario in which the high ionizing output is due to low metallicity stars forming in a dense environment. We estimate a metallicity $\lesssim 0.1 Z/{\rm Z}_{\odot}$, a high ionization parameter logU $> -2$, a N/O abundance 4--5 times the solar value, and a subsolar C/O ratio similar to the recently discovered class of nitrogen-enhanced objects. Considering its abundance patterns and the high stellar mass density ($10^4$~M$_{\odot}$~pc$^{-2}$), GHZ2 is an ideal formation site for the progenitors of today's globular clusters. The remarkable brightness of GHZ2 makes it a ``Rosetta stone'' for understanding the physics of galaxy formation within just 360 Myr after the Big Bang., Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal. 20 pages, 7 figures, 2 tables

Galaxy clusters as gravitational lenses play a unique role in astrophysics and cosmology: they permit mapping the dark matter distribution on a range of scales; they reveal the properties of high and intermediate redshift background galaxies that would otherwise be unreachable with telescopes; they constrain the particle nature of dark matter and are a powerful probe of global cosmological parameters, like the Hubble constant. In this review we summarize the current status of cluster lensing observations and the insights they provide, and offer a glimpse into the capabilities that ongoing, and the upcoming next generation of telescopes and surveys will deliver. While many open questions remain, cluster lensing promises to remain at the forefront of discoveries in astrophysics and cosmology., Comment: 57 pages, 13 figures, Accepted for publication in Space Science Reviews, Topical Collection 'Strong Gravitational Lensing', eds. J. Wambsganss et al

We present deep JWST NIRSpec observations in the sightline of MACS J1149.5+2223, a massive cluster of galaxies at $z=0.54$. We report the spectroscopic redshift of 28 sources at $37$, i.e. comparable to the most metal poor galaxies in the local Universe. The search of primordial galaxies may be accomplished by extending toward a lower mass and/or by investigating inhomogeneities at smaller spatial scales. Lastly, we investigate potential systematics caused by the limitation of JWST's MSA observations. Caution is warranted when the target exceeds the slit size, as this situation could allow an overestimation of "global" metallicity, especially under the presence of strong negative metallicity gradient., Comment: Accepted for publication on May 29, 2024 to ApJ

We present a new weak lensing analysis of the Hubble Frontier Fields galaxy cluster Abell 2744 ($z$ = 0.308) using new Magellan/MegaCam multi-band $gri$ imaging data. We carry out our study by applying brand-new PSF and shape measurement softwares that allow for the use of multi-band data simultaneously, which we first test on Subaru/Suprime-Cam $BR_cz'$ imaging data of the same cluster. The projected total mass of this system within $2.35 \, \mathrm{Mpc}$ from the south-west BCG is $(2.56 \pm 0.26) \times 10^{15} \, \mathrm{M}_\odot$, which makes Abell 2744 one of the most massive clusters known. This value is consistent, within the errors, with previous weak lensing and dynamical studies. Our analysis reveals the presence of three high-density substructures, thus supporting the picture of a complex merging scenario. This result is also confirmed by a comparison with a recent strong lensing study based on high-resolution JWST imaging. Moreover, our reconstructed total mass profile nicely agrees with an extrapolation of the strong lensing best-fit model up to several Mpc from the BCG centre.

We present a new high-precision strong lensing model of PLCK G287.0$+$32.9, a massive lens galaxy cluster at $z=0.383$, with the aim to get an accurate estimation of its effective Einstein radius and total mass distribution. We also present a spectroscopic catalog containing accurate redshift measurements for 490 objects, including multiply-lensed sources and cluster member galaxies. We exploit high-quality spectroscopic data from three pointings of the VLT Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer, covering a central $3~\rm{arcmin}^2$ region of the cluster. We complete the spectroscopic catalog by including redshift measurements from VLT-VIMOS and KECK-DEIMOS. We identify 129 spectroscopic cluster member galaxies, with redshift values $0.360 \leq z \leq 0.405$ and $m_{\rm{F160W}} \leq 21$, and 24 photometric ones identified with a Convolutional Neural Network from ancillary HST imaging. We also identify 114 multiple images from 28 background sources, of which 84 images from 16 sources are new and the remaining ones were identified in previous work. The best-fitting lens model shows a root mean square separation value between the predicted and observed positions of the multiple images of $0.75''$, corresponding to an improvement in reconstructing the observed positions of the multiple images of a factor of $2.5$ with respect to previous models. Using the predictive power of our new lens model we find 3 new multiple images and we confirm the configuration of three systems of multiple images that were not used for the optimization of the model. The derived total mass distribution confirms this cluster to be a very prominent gravitational lens with an effective Einstein $\theta_{E} = 43.4'' \pm 0.1''$, that is in agreement with previous estimates and corresponds to a total mass enclosed in the critical curve of $M_E = {3.33}_{-0.07}^{+0.02} \times{ 10^{14} M_\odot}$., Comment: submitted to "Astronomy & Astrophysics" and accepted the on January 29th 2024

We present a tomographic analysis of metal absorption lines arising from the circumgalactic medium (CGM) of galaxies at z~0.5-2, using Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) observations of two background quasars at z~2.2 and 2.8, which are two of the few currently known quasars with multiple images due to strong gravitational lensing by galaxy clusters at z~0.6 and 0.5, respectively. The angular separations between different pairs of quasar multiple images enable us to probe the absorption over transverse physical separations of ~0.4-150 kpc, which are based on strong lensing models exploiting MUSE observations. The fractional difference in rest-frame equivalent width (Delta Wr) of MgII, FeII, CIV absorption increases on average with physical separation, indicating that the metal-enriched gaseous structures become less coherent with distance, with a likely coherence length scale of ~10 kpc. However, Delta Wr for all the ions vary considerably over ~0.08-0.9, indicating a clumpy CGM over the full range of length scales probed. At the same time, paired MgII absorption is detected across ~100-150 kpc at similar line-of-sight velocities, which could be probing cool gas clouds within the same halo. No significant dependence of Delta Wr is found on the equivalent width and redshift of the absorbing gas and on the galaxy environment associated with the absorption. The high-ionization gas phase traced by CIV shows a higher degree of coherence than the low-ionization gas phase traced by MgII, with ~90 percent of CIV systems exhibiting Delta Wr <=0.5 at separations <=10 kpc compared to ~50 percent of MgII systems., Comment: 9 pages + appendix, 8 figures, accepted in MNRAS