English

The early Universe with JWST and ALMA

Astrophysics of Galaxies 2026-01-09 v1

Abstract

The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array and the James Webb Space Telescope are transforming our understanding of galaxy formation and evolution in the early Universe. By combining their capabilities, these observatories provide unprecedented insights into the gas, dust, and stars of high-redshift galaxies at spatially resolved scales, unveiling the complexities of their interstellar medium, kinematics, morphology, active galactic nuclei, and star formation activity. This review summarizes recent breakthroughs in the study of galaxies during the first billion years of cosmic history, highlighting key discoveries, open questions, and current limitations. We discuss how observations, theoretical models, and simulations are shaping our understanding of early galaxy evolution and identify promising directions for future research. While significant progress can be achieved through optimized use of existing facilities and collaborative efforts, further advances will require enhanced angular resolution and sensitivity, motivating upgrades to current instruments and the development of next-generation observatories.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2601.04314,
  title  = {The early Universe with JWST and ALMA},
  author = {Rodrigo Herrera-Camus and Natascha Förster Schreiber and Livia Vallini and Rychard Bouwens and John D. Silverman},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2601.04314},
  year   = {2026}
}

Comments

Review Article published in Nature Astronomy. Open access enhanced pdf version: https://rdcu.be/eVPtU. This review summarizes key discoveries and ways forward discussed at the Lorentz Center Workshop, "Synergistic ALMA+JWST View of the Early Universe" (Dec. 2024). 9 pages, 5 figures