Texas professor says groundbreaking images demonstrate 'tremendous power' of James Webb Space Telescope

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has captured groundbreaking images revealing the presence of galaxies with stellar bars – elongated features of stars extending from the galactic centers to their outer disks – during a time when the universe was only a quarter of its current age, the University of Texas said in a news release.

This discovery, made by the Cosmic Evolution Early Release Science Survey (CEERS), led by Professor Steven Finkelstein of The University of Texas at Austin, challenges existing theories of galaxy evolution and highlights the need for scientists to refine their understanding of the early universe, the university said. 

Previously, the Hubble Space Telescope had never detected barred galaxies at such young epochs. The images obtained from JWST showcase the presence of stellar bars, reminiscent of our own Milky Way. The latest images obtained by JWST showcase two barred galaxies, EGS-23205 and EGS-24268, existing approximately 11 billion years ago. These galaxies represent the earliest known instances of barred galaxies ever discovered. In addition to these findings, the research team also identified four other barred galaxies dating back more than eight billion years. The discoveries were made as part of the Cosmic Evolution Early Release Science Survey (CEERS), led by Professor Steven Finkelstein of the University of Texas at Austin.

The research team was astounded by the clarity and detail revealed in the JWST images, especially compared to the previously obscured bars in the Hubble data, the news release said.

"The bars hardly visible in Hubble data just popped out in the JWST image, showing the tremendous power of JWST to see the underlying structure in galaxies," said Professor Shardha Jogee, an astronomer at the University of Texas at Austin.

The analysis of the data was led by graduate student Yuchen "Kay" Guo, who emphasized the groundbreaking nature of the research, describing it as exploring uncharted territory. Stellar bars are vital to galaxy evolution as they facilitate the flow of gas into central regions, leading to increased star formation rates. Jogee compares this process to a supply chain, explaining that bars act as conduits, transporting gas to the central regions where it rapidly converts into new stars at a rate far surpassing the rest of the galaxy. Additionally, bars play a role in the growth of supermassive black holes in galaxy centers by channeling gas.

The presence of the barred galaxies during such early epochs has significant implications for our understanding of galaxy evolution. Jogee noted.

"This discovery of early bars means galaxy evolution models now have a new pathway via bars to accelerate the production of new stars at early epochs," she said.

The existence of these bars challenges existing theoretical models, necessitating a reassessment of galaxy physics to accurately predict the abundance of bars. The research team plans to explore different models in future papers to further comprehend this phenomenon.

 The James Webb Space Telescope's ability to uncover structures in distant galaxies surpasses that of the Hubble Space Telescope due to its larger mirror, providing enhanced light-gathering capability and higher resolution, the university said.

Also, JWST's observation at longer infrared wavelengths enables it to penetrate dust more effectively.

The research effort involved the contributions of undergraduate students Eden Wise and Zilei Chen, who visually reviewed hundreds of galaxies to identify those with bars, aiding the researchers in narrowing down the sample for further analysis. The study boasts a diverse team of co-authors from various institutions worldwide, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Spain, France, Italy, Australia, and Israel. Funding for this groundbreaking research was provided in part by the Roland K. Blumberg Endowment in Astronomy, the Heising-Simons Foundation, and NASA. The project utilized resources from the Texas Advanced Computing Center, including the powerful Frontera supercomputer, the most potent supercomputer at a U.S. university, the news release said.