BEACON: JWST NIRCam Pure-parallel Imaging Survey. IV. A Systematic Search for Galaxy Overdensities and Evidence for Gas Accretion Mode Transition

Read full text
Authors: Ryo A. Sutanto, Takahiro Morishita, Tadayuki Kodama, Abdurro'uf, Larry Bradley, Andrew J. Bunker, Nima Chartab, Nuo Chen, Matthew Hayes, G. Hélou, Novan Saputra Haryana, Nicha Leethochawalit
+11 more Zhaoran Liu, Charlotte A. Mason, Marc A. Rafelski, Michael J. Rutkowski, M. Stiavelli, Kosuke Takahashi, Harry I. Teplitz, Michele Trenti, Tommaso Treu, Benedetta Vulcani, Yechi Zhang
Cited by: 0

Abstract

We systematically search for galaxy overdensities using 20 independent fields with a minimum of six filters (F090W, F115W, F150W, F277W, F356W, and F444W) from BEACON, the JWST Cycle 2 NIRCam pure-parallel imaging survey. We apply an adaptive kernel-density estimation method that incorporates the full photometric redshift probability distribution function of each galaxy to map galaxy overdensities, and identify 207 significant ($>4\,σ$) overdensities at $1.5 3$, potentially due to a larger cold gas supply in earlier times. Our study reveals a complex interplay between individual galaxies and large-scale environmental properties, marking the onset of environmental effects on galaxy quenching in massive halos at cosmic noon.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Galaxies: Formation Evolution Phenomena Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies Stellar planetary and galactic studies

Publication details

Journal / source
arXiv (Cornell University)
Publication date
4 February 2026
Document type
Preprint