Abstract

Rest-frame UV imaging is vital for identifying and analyzing stars and galaxies at high redshifts.  These photons probe ultraviolet (UV) light emitted from these high redshift sources, with UV colors being sensitive to star formation, dust, and metallicity. Here, we constrain these galaxy properties based on the rest-frame UV spectral slope, β, and its evolution. Using the UVCANDELS survey and data generated by WFC3 and ACS on board HST, rest-frame optical data from Spitzer/IRAC, we have developed detailed photometric selection criteria to identify sources at redshifts z ~ 2-4 in the GOODSN field. These sources are then analyzed through spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting with a Bayesian SED-fitting code Dense Basis resulting in the best-fitting synthetic stellar population and measurements for the rest-frame UV spectral slope as a function of redshift. We discuss the detailed evolution of the rest-frame UV spectral slope, its implications for galaxy composition, and possible correlations with UV absolute magnitude and stellar mass. We also provide a first look into the UV colors of high redshift sources utilizing near-infrared imaging with JWST’s NGDEEP survey.