Uncertain location and extent of the DLA relative to JADES-GS-z14-0

Determine the spatial location and physical extent of the damped Lyman-α absorber relative to the galaxy JADES-GS-z14-0 at z = 14.1796, in order to characterize the origin of the observed Lyα break associated with a neutral hydrogen column density log(NHI/cm−2) ≈ 22.23.

Background

Using the [OIII] 88 µm detection, the authors infer a spectroscopic redshift and, via Lyα break modeling, a strong DLA with log(NHI)≈22.23. This suggests a substantial reservoir of neutral gas around the galaxy.

Despite this, the paper notes that the DLA’s position and size relative to the host are not determined. Resolving its location and extent would clarify whether the absorber is in the ISM, CGM, or associated with outflows, and how it shapes the observed Lyα break.