JWST/NIRSpec Spectroscopy of $z=7-9$ Star Forming Galaxies with CEERS: New Insight into Bright Ly$\alpha$ Emitters in Ionized Bubbles

We describe new JWST/NIRSpec observations of galaxies at $z\gtrsim7$ taken as part of the CEERS survey of the EGS field. Previous observations of this area have revealed associations of Ly$\alpha$ emitters at redshifts ($z=7.5$, $7.7$, $8.7$) where the IGM is thought mostly neutral, leading to suggestions that these systems are situated in large ionized bubbles. We identify 21 $z\gtrsim7$ galaxies with robust redshifts in the CEERS dataset, including 10 in the Ly$\alpha$ associations. Their spectra are indicative of very highly ionized and metal poor gas, with line ratios (O32 $=17.84$ and Ne3O2 $=0.89$) and metallicity ($12+\log{[\rm{O/H}]}=7.84$) that are rarely seen at lower redshifts. We find that the most extreme spectral properties are found in the six $z\gtrsim7$ Ly$\alpha$ emitting galaxies in the sample. Each have hard ionizing spectra indicating that their visibility is likely enhanced by efficient ionizing photon production. Ly$\alpha$ velocity offsets are found to be very large ($\gtrsim300$ km s$^{-1}$), likely also contributing to their detectability. We find that Ly$\alpha$ in $z\gtrsim7$ galaxies is $6-12\times$ weaker than in lower redshift samples with matched rest-frame optical spectral properties. If the bubbles around the Ly$\alpha$ emitters are relatively small ($\lesssim0.5-1$ pMpc), we may expect such significant attenuation of Ly$\alpha$ in these ionized regions. We discuss several other effects that may contribute to weaker Ly$\alpha$ emission at $z\gtrsim7$. Deep spectroscopy of fainter galaxies in the vicinity of the Ly$\alpha$ emitters will better characterize the physical scale of the ionized bubbles in this field.