# JWST & the Early Universe Domain: Astrophysics & Cosmology · 255 papers indexed · newest 2026-10-29 High-redshift galaxy discoveries, little red dots, early supermassive black holes and reionization as seen by JWST. Key concepts: JWST, high-redshift galaxies, little red dots, reionization, early supermassive black hole, cosmic dawn ## Most influential - **[A Comprehensive Study of Galaxies at z ∼ 9–16 Found in the Early JWST Data: Ultraviolet Luminosity Functions and Cosmic Star Formation History at the Pre-reionization Epoch](https://space-kitty.com/papers/arxiv:2208.01612)**. Yuichi Harikane, Masami Ouchi, Masamune Oguri et al. · 2023 · The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series (arXiv:2208.01612 · doi:10.3847/1538-4365/acaaa9 · 543 citations). Source: > We conduct a comprehensive study on dropout galaxy candidates at $z\\sim9-16$ using the first 90 arcmin$^2$ JWST/NIRCam images taken by the early release observations (ERO) and early release science (ERS) programs. With the JWST simulation images, we find that a number of foreground interlopers are selected with a weak photo-$z$ determination ($Δχ^2\>4$). We thus carefully apply a secure photo-$z$ selection criterion ($Δχ^2\>9$) and conventional color criteria with confirmations of the ERO NIRSpec spectroscopic redshifts, and obtain a total of 23 dropout galaxies at $z\\sim9-16$, including two can… - **[CEERS Key Paper. I. An Early Look into the First 500 Myr of Galaxy Formation with JWST](https://space-kitty.com/papers/arxiv:2211.05792)**. Steven L. Finkelstein, Micaela B. Bagley, Henry C. Ferguson et al. · 2023 · The Astrophysical Journal Letters (arXiv:2211.05792 · doi:10.3847/2041-8213/acade4 · 538 citations). Source: > We present an investigation into the first 500 Myr of galaxy evolution from the Cosmic Evolution Early Release Science (CEERS) survey. CEERS, one of 13 JWST ERS programs, targets galaxy formation from z~0.5 to z\>10 using several imaging and spectroscopic modes. We make use of the first epoch of CEERS NIRCam imaging, spanning 35.5 sq. arcmin, to search for candidate galaxies at z\>9. Following a detailed data reduction process implementing several custom steps to produce high-quality reduced images, we perform multi-band photometry across seven NIRCam broad and medium-band (and six Hubble broadb… - **[Two Remarkably Luminous Galaxy Candidates at z ≈ 10–12 Revealed by JWST](https://space-kitty.com/papers/arxiv:2207.09434)**. Rohan P. Naidu, Pascal A. Oesch, Pieter van Dokkum et al. · 2022 · The Astrophysical Journal Letters (arXiv:2207.09434 · doi:10.3847/2041-8213/ac9b22 · 438 citations). Source: > The first few hundred Myrs at $z\>10$ mark the last major uncharted epoch in the history of the Universe, where only a single galaxy (GNz11 at $z\\approx11$) is currently spectroscopically confirmed. Here we present a search for luminous $z\>10$ galaxies with $JWST$/NIRCam photometry spanning $\\approx1-5μ$m and covering 49 arcmin$^{2}$ from the public Early Release Science programs (CEERS and GLASS). Our most secure candidates are two $M\_{\\rm{UV}}\\approx-21$ systems: GLASS-z12 and GLASS-z10. These galaxies display abrupt $\\gtrsim1.8$ mag breaks in their spectral energy distributions, consistent w… - **[The evolution of the galaxy UV luminosity function at redshifts z ≃ 8 – 15 from deep JWST and ground-based near-infrared imaging](https://space-kitty.com/papers/arxiv:2207.12356)**. Callum T. Donnan, Derek J. McLeod, J. S. Dunlop et al. · 2022 · Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (arXiv:2207.12356 · doi:10.1093/mnras/stac3472 · 435 citations). Source: > We reduce and analyse the available James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) ERO and ERS NIRCam imaging (SMACS0723, GLASS, CEERS) in combination with the latest deep ground-based near-infrared imaging in the COSMOS field (provided by UltraVISTA DR5) to produce a new measurement of the evolving galaxy UV luminosity function (LF) over the redshift range $z = 8 - 15$. This yields a new estimate of the evolution of UV luminosity density ($ρ\_{\\rm UV}$), and hence cosmic star-formation rate density ($ρ\_{\\rm SFR}$) out to within $\< 300$\\, Myr of the Big Bang. Our results confirm that the high-redshift LF is… - **[A CEERS Discovery of an Accreting Supermassive Black Hole 570 Myr after the Big Bang: Identifying a Progenitor of Massive z \> 6 Quasars](https://space-kitty.com/papers/doi:10.3847/2041-8213/ace619)**. Rebecca L. Larson, Steven L. Finkelstein, Dale D. Kocevski et al. · 2023 · The Astrophysical Journal Letters (doi:10.3847/2041-8213/ace619 · 365 citations). Source: > Abstract We report the discovery of an accreting supermassive black hole at z = 8.679. This galaxy, denoted here as CEERS\_1019, was previously discovered as a Ly α -break galaxy by Hubble with a Ly α redshift from Keck. As part of the Cosmic Evolution Early Release Science (CEERS) survey, we have observed this source with JWST/NIRSpec, MIRI, NIRCam, and NIRCam/WFSS and uncovered a plethora of emission lines. The H β line is best fit by a narrow plus a broad component, where the latter is measured at 2.5 σ with an FWHM ∼1200 km s −1 . We conclude this originates in the broadline region of an ac… > _Abstract excerpt by Rebecca L. Larson et al., CC-BY, https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ace619; truncated._ - **[Stress testing ΛCDM with high-redshift galaxy candidates](https://space-kitty.com/papers/arxiv:2208.01611)**. Michael Boylan-Kolchin · 2023 · Nature Astronomy (arXiv:2208.01611 · doi:10.1038/s41550-023-01937-7 · 329 citations). Source: > Early data from JWST have revealed a bevy of high-redshift galaxy candidates with unexpectedly high stellar masses. An immediate concern is the consistency of these candidates with galaxy formation in the standard cosmological model. In the $Λ$CDM paradigm, the stellar mass ($M\_\\star$) of a galaxy is limited by the available baryonic reservoir of its host dark matter halo. The mass function of dark matter halos therefore imposes an absolute upper limit on the number density $n(\>M\_\\star,z)$ and stellar mass density $ρ\_{\\star}(\>M\_\\star,z)$ of galaxies more massive than $M\_\\star$ at any epoch $z$… - **[Early Results from GLASS-JWST. III. Galaxy Candidates at z ∼9–15\*](https://space-kitty.com/papers/arxiv:2207.09436)**. M. Castellano, A. Fontana, Tommaso Treu et al. · 2022 · The Astrophysical Journal Letters (arXiv:2207.09436 · doi:10.3847/2041-8213/ac94d0 · 340 citations). Source: > We present the results of a first search for galaxy candidates at z$\\sim$9--15 on deep seven-bands NIRCam imaging acquired as part of the GLASS-JWST Early Release Science Program on a flanking field of the Frontier Fields cluster A2744. Candidates are selected via two different renditions of the Lyman-break technique, isolating objects at z$\\sim$9-11, and z$\\sim$9-15, respectively, supplemented by photometric redshifts obtained with two independent codes. We find five color-selected candidates at z$\>$9, plus one additional candidate with photometric redshift z$\_{phot}\\geq$9. In particular, we … - **[GA-NIFS: A massive black hole in a low-metallicity AGN at z ∼ 5.55 revealed by JWST/NIRSpec IFS](https://space-kitty.com/papers/arxiv:2302.06647)**. Hannah Übler, R. Maiolino, Emma Curtis-Lake et al. · 2023 · Astronomy and Astrophysics (arXiv:2302.06647 · doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202346137 · 303 citations). Source: > We present JWST/NIRSpec Integral Field Spectrograph rest-frame optical data of the compact $z=5.55$ galaxy GS\_3073. Its prominent broad components in several hydrogen and helium lines (while absent in the forbidden lines), and the detection of a large equivalent width of He II$\\lambda4686$, EW(He II) ~ 20A, unambiguously identify it as an active galactic nucleus (AGN). We measure a gas-phase metallicity of $Z\_{\\rm gas}/Z\_\\odot\\sim0.21^{+0.08}\_{-0.04}$, lower than what has been inferred for both more luminous AGN at similar redshift and lower redshift AGN. We empirically show that classical emi… - **[Efficient formation of massive galaxies at cosmic dawn by feedback-free starbursts](https://space-kitty.com/papers/arxiv:2303.04827)**. Avishai Dekel, Kartick Chandra Sarkar, Yuval Birnboim et al. · 2023 · Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (arXiv:2303.04827 · doi:10.1093/mnras/stad1557 · 290 citations). Source: > JWST observations indicate a surprising excess of luminous galaxies at $z\\sim 10$ and above, consistent with efficient conversion of the accreted gas into stars, unlike the suppression of star formation by feedback at later times. We show that the high densities and low metallicities at this epoch {\\it guarantee} a high star-formation efficiency (SFE) in the most massive dark-matter haloes. Feedback-free starbursts (FFBs) occur when the free-fall time is shorter than $\\sim 1$ Myr, below the time for low-metallicity massive stars to develop winds and supernovae. This corresponds to a characteri… - **[The chemical enrichment in the early Universe as probed by JWST via direct metallicity measurements at z ∼ 8](https://space-kitty.com/papers/arxiv:2207.12375)**. Mirko Curti, Francesco D’Eugenio, Stefano Carniani et al. · 2022 · Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (arXiv:2207.12375 · doi:10.1093/mnras/stac2737 · 284 citations). Source: > We analyse the chemical properties of three z~8 galaxies behind the galaxy cluster SMACS J0723.3-7327, observed as part of the Early Release Observations programme of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Exploiting \[O III\]4363 auroral line detections in NIRSpec spectra, we robustly apply the direct Te method for the very first time at such high redshift, measuring metallicities ranging from extremely metal poor (12+log(O/H)~7) to about one-third solar. We also discuss the excitation properties of these sources, and compare them with local strong-line metallicity calibrations. We find that no… - **[The Rise of Faint, Red Active Galactic Nuclei at z \> 4: A Sample of Little Red Dots in the JWST Extragalactic Legacy Fields](https://space-kitty.com/papers/doi:10.3847/1538-4357/adbc7d)**. Dale D. Kocevski, Steven L. Finkelstein, Guillermo Barro et al. · 2025 · The Astrophysical Journal (doi:10.3847/1538-4357/adbc7d · 200 citations). Source: > Abstract We present a sample of 341 “little red dots” (LRDs) spanning the redshift range z ∼ 2–11 using data from the CEERS, PRIMER, JADES, UNCOVER, and NGDEEP surveys. Unlike past use of color indices to identify LRDs, we employ continuum slope fitting using shifting bandpasses to sample the same rest-frame emission blueward and redward of the Balmer break. This enables the detection of LRDs over a wider redshift range and with less contamination from galaxies with strong breaks that otherwise lack a rising red continuum. The redshift distribution of our sample increases at z \< 8 and then und… > _Abstract excerpt by Dale D. Kocevski et al., CC-BY, https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/adbc7d; truncated._ - **[Discovery and properties of ultra-high redshift galaxies (9 \< z \< 12) in the JWST ERO SMACS 0723 Field](https://space-kitty.com/papers/arxiv:2207.11217)**. Nathan Adams, Christopher J. Conselice, Leonardo Ferreira et al. · 2022 · Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (arXiv:2207.11217 · doi:10.1093/mnras/stac3347 · 273 citations). Source: > We present a reduction and analysis of the \\textit{James Webb Space Telescope} (JWST) SMACS~0723 field using new post-launch calibrations to conduct a search for ultra-high-redshift galaxies ($z \> 9$) present within the Epoch of Reionisation. We conduct this search by modelling photometric redshifts in several ways for all sources and by applying conservative magnitude cuts ($m\_{\\rm F200W} \< 28$) to identify strong Lyman breaks greater than 1 magnitude. We find four $z \> 9$ candidate galaxies which have not previously been identified, with one object at $z = 11.5$, and another which is possibl… - **[JADES: Insights into the low-mass end of the mass–metallicity–SFR relation at 3 \< z \< 10 from deep JWST/NIRSpec spectroscopy](https://space-kitty.com/papers/doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202346698)**. Mirko Curti, R. Maiolino, Emma Curtis-Lake et al. · 2024 · Astronomy and Astrophysics (doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202346698 · 224 citations). Source: > We analysed the gas-phase metallicity properties of a sample of low-stellar-mass (log M ⋆ / M ⊙ ≲ 9) galaxies at 3 \< z \< 10 observed with JWST/NIRSpec as part of the JADES programme in its deep GOODS-S tier. By combining this sample with more massive galaxies at similar redshifts from other programmes, we study the scaling relations between stellar mass ( M ⋆ ), oxygen abundance (O/H), and star-formation rate (SFR) for 146 galaxies spanning three orders of magnitude in stellar mass and out to the epoch of early galaxy assembly. We find evidence for a shallower slope at the low-mass end of the … > _Abstract excerpt by Mirko Curti et al., CC-BY, https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202346698; truncated._ - **[THE SPECTRAL EVOLUTION OF THE FIRST GALAXIES. I.JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPEDETECTION LIMITS AND COLOR CRITERIA FOR POPULATION III GALAXIES](https://space-kitty.com/papers/arxiv:1105.0921)**. Erik Zackrisson, Claes-Erik Rydberg, D. Schaerer et al. · 2011 · The Astrophysical Journal (arXiv:1105.0921 · doi:10.1088/0004-637x/740/1/13 · 324 citations). Source: > The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is expected to revolutionize our understanding of the high-redshift Universe, and may be able to test the prediction that the first, chemically pristine (population III) stars formed with very high characteristic masses. Since isolated population III stars are likely to be beyond the reach of JWST, small population III galaxies may offer the best prospects of directly probing the properties of metal-free stars. Here, we present Yggdrasil, a new spectral synthesis code geared towards the first galaxies. Using this model, we explore the JWST imaging detectio… - **[The Complete CEERS Early Universe Galaxy Sample: A Surprisingly Slow Evolution of the Space Density of Bright Galaxies at z ∼ 8.5–14.5](https://space-kitty.com/papers/arxiv:2311.04279)**. Steven L. Finkelstein, Gene C. K. Leung, Micaela B. Bagley et al. · 2024 · The Astrophysical Journal Letters (arXiv:2311.04279 · doi:10.3847/2041-8213/ad4495 · 215 citations). Source: > We present a sample of 88 candidate z~8.5-14.5 galaxies selected from the completed NIRCam imaging from the Cosmic Evolution Early Release Science (CEERS) survey. These data cover ~90 arcmin^2 (10 NIRCam pointings) in six broad-band and one medium-band imaging filter. With this sample we confirm at higher confidence early JWST conclusions that bright galaxies in this epoch are more abundant than predicted by most theoretical models. We construct the rest-frame ultraviolet luminosity functions at z~9, 11 and 14, and show that the space density of bright (M\_UV=-20) galaxies changes only modestly… ## Newest - **[Cosmic birefringence tomography with radio galaxies I: Testing birefringence solutions to the CMB-BAO tension](https://space-kitty.com/papers/arxiv:2610.39449)**. Toshiya Namikawa, Fumihiro Naokawa, Richard Battye et al. · 2026 (arXiv:2610.39449). Source: - **[Dust growth in the early Universe: insight from the NewCluster spin-off simulation](https://space-kitty.com/papers/arxiv:2610.39683)**. J. K. Jang, Yohan Dubois, Francisco Rodriguez Montero et al. · 2026 (arXiv:2610.39683). Source: - **[Feeding or Fleeing: The Impact of Enhanced Early Black Hole Growth on Circumgalactic Clumps at $z \> 6$](https://space-kitty.com/papers/arxiv:2610.39692)**. Floor van Donkelaar, Lucas Tortora, Debora Sijacki · 2026 (arXiv:2610.39692). Source: - **[At the EDGES of MADness: phenomenology of relic millicharged atomic dark matter](https://space-kitty.com/papers/arxiv:2610.40064)**. Eleonora Vanzan, Kimberly K. Boddy, Ely D. Kovetz · 2026 (arXiv:2610.40064). Source: - **[Toward a Complete Interpretation of Global 21 cm Absorption Signals Using the Radio CMB](https://space-kitty.com/papers/arxiv:2610.40300)**. Hannah Fronenberg · 2026 (arXiv:2610.40300). Source: - **[PRISMS GHZ8: Evidence for a Young Burst and Potential Merger Activity at z=10.23](https://space-kitty.com/papers/arxiv:2610.40633)**. Ruqiu Lin, Jorge Zavala, Javier Álvarez-Márquez et al. · 2026 (arXiv:2610.40633). Source: - **[A Collimated Protostellar Outflow Likely Driven by Jet and Reshaped by Environment in the Sagittarius C Cloud of the Central Molecular Zone](https://space-kitty.com/papers/arxiv:2610.36573)**. Sen-Di Bo, Xing Lu, Tian-Yu Tu et al. · 2026 (arXiv:2610.36573). Source: - **[Excitation and Destruction of Small Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons by the Luminous Seyfert Nucleus of NGC 4151](https://space-kitty.com/papers/arxiv:2610.36651)**. Grant P. Donnelly, J. -D. T. Smith, Sebastian F. Hönig et al. · 2026 (arXiv:2610.36651). Source: - **[A Point-source Catalogue from Direction-dependent Calibrated 21CMA Images](https://space-kitty.com/papers/arxiv:2610.37368)**. Qizhe Tang, Jingying Wang, Junhua Gu et al. · 2026 (arXiv:2610.37368). Source: - **[JWST/MIRI Observations of Amorphous Silicates in Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS](https://space-kitty.com/papers/arxiv:2610.37540)**. Cristina A. Thomas, Michael S. P. Kelley, David E. Harker et al. · 2026 (arXiv:2610.37540). Source: --- Space Kitty Archive · https://space-kitty.com · API: https://space-kitty.com/api/v1 · MCP: https://space-kitty.com/mcp · Premium: $0.20/request via x402 (Base Sepolia (testnet)). Metadata: arXiv (CC0), OpenAlex (CC0), Europe PMC (CC BY/CC0 works), ClinicalTrials.gov.