Simulations of Dust Content and Attenuation in z=5−15 Galaxies
Abstract
Correctly modeling the dust attenuation law in galaxies is essential to properly inferring their growth and physical properties. With the rapid discovery of z>6 galaxies by JWST and lack of constraints on the properties of dust at these redshifts, we must turn to theoretical models to predict the properties of dust at these redshifts. In this paper, we develop a theoretical foundation for the nature of high-redshift attenuation laws. We analyze $107$ cosmological zoom-in simulations of galaxies run with the SMUGGLE galaxy formation model. SMUGGLE includes an explicitly modeled multiphase interstellar medium and a state-of-the-art dust model with a self-consistently evolving dust grain size distribution. We forward model these simulations with the radiative transfer package POWDERDAY to produce synthetic spectra and attenuation curves for a set of z=5−15, M*∼106.5−1010 M⊙ galaxies. We find evidence for flatter attenuation curves than the commonly used locally-calibrated literature attenuation laws assumed when modeling high-redshift galaxies. The vast majority of our attenuation curves also lack the 2175 Angstrom absorption feature. Our attenuation laws do not evolve strongly over z=15−5, which we attribute to relatively constant fractions of small grains up to z=4 in our simulations. We present a set of simulation-informed priors on dust attenuation law parameterization that could be implemented in SED fitting codes. There is an anti-correlation between galaxy mass and attenuation curve slope and positive correlation between galaxy mass and AV, which we attribute to dust growth becoming efficient in our massive galaxies with logM*/M⊙≳9 and with ISM conditions above a critical metallicity threshold.
Related
- Dust in Galaxies at z=10−15: Attenuation and Re-emission Predictions from the FirstLight Simulations
- The Physical Origins of Scatter in the Dust Attenuation Scaling Relation of Star-Forming Galaxies: Star--Dust Geometry
- Learning the Universe: The Structure of Dust Attenuation Curves in Galaxy Simulations
- Big, Dusty Galaxies in Blue Jay: Insights into the Relationship Between Morphology and Dust Attenuation at Cosmic Noon
- Star Formation and Nebular Attenuation from Paα, Brα, and Brβ in Massive Dust-obscured Galaxies at Cosmic Noon using JWST
BibTeX
@misc{zimmerman2026simulations,
title = {{Simulations of Dust Content and Attenuation in $z=5-15$ Galaxies}},
author = {Dhruv T. Zimmerman and Jed McKinney and Desika Narayanan and Caitlin M. Casey and John Chisholm and Alex M. Garcia and Michelle C. Jecmen and Jessica Kelley-Derzon and Federico Marinacci and Julian B. Muñoz and Laura V. Sales and Ethan Savitch and Paul Torrey},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2610.19379},
eprint = {2610.19379},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.19379},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Simulations of Dust Content and Attenuation in z=5−15 Galaxies
AU - Dhruv T. Zimmerman
AU - Jed McKinney
AU - Desika Narayanan
AU - Caitlin M. Casey
AU - John Chisholm
AU - Alex M. Garcia
AU - Michelle C. Jecmen
AU - Jessica Kelley-Derzon
AU - Federico Marinacci
AU - Julian B. Muñoz
AU - Laura V. Sales
AU - Ethan Savitch
AU - Paul Torrey
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/14
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2610.19379
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.19379
AB - Correctly modeling the dust attenuation law in galaxies is essential to properly inferring their growth and physical properties. With the rapid discovery of z>6 galaxies by JWST and lack of constraints on the properties of dust at these redshifts, we must turn to theoretical models to predict the properties of dust at these redshifts. In this paper, we develop a theoretical foundation for the nature of high-redshift attenuation laws. We analyze $107$ cosmological zoom-in simulations of galaxies run with the SMUGGLE galaxy formation model. SMUGGLE includes an explicitly modeled multiphase interstellar medium and a state-of-the-art dust model with a self-consistently evolving dust grain size distribution. We forward model these simulations with the radiative transfer package POWDERDAY to produce synthetic spectra and attenuation curves for a set of z=5−15, M_*∼10^6.5−10^10 M_⊙ galaxies. We find evidence for flatter attenuation curves than the commonly used locally-calibrated literature attenuation laws assumed when modeling high-redshift galaxies. The vast majority of our attenuation curves also lack the 2175 Angstrom absorption feature. Our attenuation laws do not evolve strongly over z=15−5, which we attribute to relatively constant fractions of small grains up to z=4 in our simulations. We present a set of simulation-informed priors on dust attenuation law parameterization that could be implemented in SED fitting codes. There is an anti-correlation between galaxy mass and attenuation curve slope and positive correlation between galaxy mass and A_V, which we attribute to dust growth becoming efficient in our massive galaxies with logM_*/M_⊙≳9 and with ISM conditions above a critical metallicity threshold.
ER -