RIOJA. JWST and ALMA unveil the inhomogeneous and complex ISM structure in a star-forming galaxy at $z=6.81$

Abstract

We report the discovery of a complex, density-stratified interstellar medium (ISM) in the star-forming galaxy COS-2987 at $z = 6.81$, revealed by the unprecedented synergy between JWST/NIRSpec IFS and ALMA observations. These observations detect key emission lines, including \oii~$\lambda\lambda$~3727, 3730, \oiii~4364, \oiii~$\lambda\lambda$~4960, 5008, \oiii\ 88 \micron, as well as H$\alpha$ and H$\beta$. JWST spectroscopy alone indicates ISM properties that are typical for galaxies at $z\sim7$. These include low dust extinction ($A_{\rm V} \approx 0.14$ mag), moderate electron density ($n_{\rm e} \approx 500$~cm$^{-3}$), and low gas-phase metallicity ($\sim10\%$). However, the strong far-infrared \oiii\ 88 \micron\ emission detected by ALMA cannot be explained by a single-component ionized medium with uniform electron density and temperature. Instead, a two-component ISM model, comprising compact, high-temperature, high-density gas components ($T_e \approx 26,000$\,K; $n_e \approx 600~\mathrm{cm}^{-3}$) and an extended, cooler, lower-density component ($T_e \approx 8,000$\,K; $n_e \approx 50~\mathrm{cm}^{-3}$), successfully reproduces the observed line ratios of \oiii~88~\micron/\oiii~5008~\AA\ and \oiii~4364/\oiii~5008~\AA, with a volume ratio of 1 : 300 between the two components. Our results demonstrate that JWST alone probes only a fraction of the ISM and highlight the critical importance of combining JWST and ALMA to reveal the density-stratified ISM of early galaxies.