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In the past two years, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has revolutionized our understanding of the early universe, uncovering galaxies as early as z~14 and revealing that nearly 80–90% of galaxies at z > 6 exhibit extreme emission lines. However, the lack of direct Lyman-continuum detections beyond z > 4.5, combined with limited photometric coverage, challenges our ability to quantify the ionising photon budget of galaxies during the reionisation era. In this talk, I will demonstrate how carefully curated samples of galaxies at cosmic noon (z ~ 2–3) can inform our understanding of early galaxy evolution. My work focuses on extreme emission line galaxies (EELGs) and Lyman-alpha emitters at z ~ 3 to explore the production and escape of ionising radiation, as well as the role of galaxy-galaxy interactions in shaping early galaxies. I will present evidence that mergers trigger recent starbursts in EELGs and promote the escape of Lyman-continuum radiation by inducing asymmetries in the neutral hydrogen gas. I will also show the discovery of a giant (75 kpc) Lyman-alpha nebula at z~3.25 created by interaction of two ~10^10 Msun galaxies that is triggering a new star cluster formation in a dwarf satellite galaxy. These findings shed light on key processes such as gas accretion and Lyman-continuum escape, offering deeper understanding of early galaxy evolution and reionisation. |
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