The JWST Resolved Stellar Populations Early Release Science Program. VIII. The Spatially Resolved Star Formation History of WLM

Radial stellar population gradients within dwarf galaxies provide a promising avenue for disentangling the drivers of galaxy evolution, including environment. Within the Local Volume, radial stellar age gradient slopes correlate with interaction history, contrary to model predictions, so dwarfs that are isolated provide a critical control sample. We measure radial stellar age gradients in the relatively isolated gas-rich dwarf irregular Wolf-Lundmark-Melotte Galaxy (WLM), combining JWST NIRCam and NIRISS imaging with six archival Hubble Space Telescope fields over semimajor axis equivalent distances of 0 ≲ R_SMA ≲ 4 kpc (≲3 R_hl). Fitting lifetime star formation histories to resolved color-magnitude diagrams, radial age gradients are quantified using τ₉₀ and τ₅₀, the lookback times to form 90% and 50% of the cumulative stellar mass. We find that globally, the outskirts of WLM are older on average, with (δτ₉₀, δτ₅₀)/δR_SMA = (0.82 − 0.10 + 0.10 , 1.60 − 0.22 + 0.23 ) Gyr kpc⁻¹ (stat.), in good agreement with simulations. However, we also detect an azimuthal dependence of radial stellar age gradients, finding that stars on the leading edge of WLM (relative to its proper motion) are both younger and have a flatter age gradient compared to the trailing edge. This difference persists over 0.6 ≲ R_SMA ≲ 3.2 kpc (∼0.5-2.5 R_hl) and lookback times up to ∼8 Gyr, and is robust to the assumed stellar evolutionary model. Our results are consistent with star formation triggered by ram pressure stripping from a circumgalactic and/or intergalactic medium, suggested by recent H I observations. If confirmed, processes typifying dense environments, such as ram pressure stripping, may be more relevant to the evolution of isolated galaxies than previously thought.