Large dust reservoirs have been detected in galaxies out to redshift z ≈ 8. Generating substantial amounts of dust in such a short timescale has been challenging for theories of dust formation. This paper reports observations of the 2,175 Å dust attenuation feature in near-infrared spectra of galaxies up to z ∼ 7, suggesting a rapid production process, possibly in Wolf–Rayet stars or supernova ejecta. The study used deep Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) multi-object spectroscopic data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey (JADES). A significant absorption feature around a rest-frame wavelength λrest = 2,175 Å was found, attributed to carbonaceous dust grains. The detection provides crucial constraints on dust production models in the early Universe.

Joris Witstok, Irene Shivaei, Renske Smit, Roberto Maiolino, Stefano Carniani, Emma Curtis-Lake, Pierre Ferruit, Santiago Arribas, Andrew J. Bunker, Alex J. Cameron, Stephane Charlot, Jacopo Chevallardo, Mirko Curti, Anna de Graaff, Francesco D’Eugenio, Giovanna Giardino, Tobias J. Looser, Tim Rawle, Bruno Rodríguez del Pino, Chris Willott, Stacey Alberts, William M. Baker, Kristan Boyett, Eiichi Egami, Daniel J. Eisenstein, Ryan Endsley, Kevin N. Hainline, Zhiyuan Ji, Benjamin D. Johnson, Nimisha Kumari, Jianwei Lyu, Erica Nelson, Michele Perna, Marcia Rieke, Brant E. Robertson, Lester Sandles, Aayush Saxena, Jan Scholtz, Fengwu Sun, Sandro Tacchella, Christina C. Williams, Christopher N. A. Willmer