Galaxy Mergers Solve Early Universe Hydrogen Emission Mystery

James Webb Space Telescope's observations reveal the role of galaxy mergers in the inexplicable hydrogen emission from the early universe.

James Webb Space Telescope's NIRCam instrument has revealed small, faint galaxies surrounding the very galaxies that show the 'inexplicable' hydrogen emission in the early universe.
The chaotic merging of these neighboring galaxies is the source of this hydrogen emission.
The team used state-of-the-art computer simulations to explore the physical processes that might explain their results.
They found that the rapid build-up of stellar mass through galaxy mergers both drove strong hydrogen emission and facilitated the escape of that radiation via channels cleared of the abundant neutral gas.
The team is planning follow-up observations with galaxies at various stages of merging to continue to develop their understanding of how the hydrogen emission is ejected from these changing systems.