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Abstract:

We present JWST/NIRSpec R$\approx$2700 spectra of four high-redshift quasars: VDES J0020-3653 (z = 6.860), DELS J0411-0907(z = 6.825), UHS J0439+1634 (z = 6.519) and ULAS J1342+0928 (z = 7.535). The exquisite data quality, signal-to-noise ratio of 50-200, and large $0.86\!~\mu{\rm m}\le \lambda \le 5.5\!~\mu{\rm m}$ spectral coverage allows us to identify between 13 and 17 intervening and proximate metal absorption line systems in each quasar spectrum, with a total number of 61 absorption-line systems detected at $2.426$ and find: i) A continued increase of the low-ionization OI, CII, and SiII incidence, ii) Decreasing high-ionization CIV and SiIV incidence with a transition from predominantly high- to low-ionization at $z\approx6.0$, and iii) a constant MgII incidence across all redshifts. The observations support a change in the ionization state of the intergalactic medium in the EoR rather than a change in metallicity. The abundance ratio of [Si/O] in five $z>6$ absorption systems show enrichment signatures produced by low-mass Pop III pair instability supernovae, and possibly Pop III hypernovae. In the Gunn-Peterson troughs we detect transmission spikes where Ly$\alpha$ photons can escape. From 22 absorption systems at $z>5.7$, only a single low-ionization system out of 13 lies within 2000 km s$^{-1}$ from a spike, while four high-ionization systems out of nine lie within $\sim$2000 km s$^{-1}$ from a spike. This confirms that galaxies responsible for the heavy elements that are transported into the circumgalactic medium lie in predominantly in high-density, neutral environments, while lower density environments are ionized without being polluted by metals at $z\approx$ 6-7. [abridged]Comment: 50 pages including 30 pages of appendices. Submitted to A&

Abstract:

Minor mergers are thought to drive the structural evolution of massive quiescent galaxies; however, existing Hubble Space Telescope (HST) imaging is primarily sensitive to stellar mass ratios ≳1:10. Here, we report the discovery of a large population of low-mass companions within 35 kpc of known log M * / M ⊙ ≳ 10.5 quiescent galaxies at 0.5 ≤ z ≤ 3. While massive companions like those identified by HST are rare, JWST imaging from the JWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey reveals that the average massive quiescent galaxy hosts approximately five nearby companions with stellar mass ratios <1:10. Despite a median stellar mass ratio of just 1:900, these tiny companions are so numerous that they represent at least 30% of the total mass being added to quiescent galaxies via minor mergers. While relatively massive companions have colors similar to their hosts, companions with mass ratios <1:10 typically have bluer colors and lower mass-to-light ratios than their host galaxies at similar radii. The accretion of these tiny companions is likely to drive evolution in the color gradients and stellar population properties of the host galaxies. Our results suggest that the well-established “minor merger growth” model for quiescent galaxies extends down to very low mass ratios of ≲1:100, and demonstrates the power of JWST to constrain both the spatially resolved properties of massive galaxies and the properties of low-mass companions beyond the local Universe