GOALS-JWST: Unveiling Dusty Compact Sources in the Merging Galaxy IIZw096
Journal article, 2022
We have used the Mid-InfraRed Instrument (MIRI) on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to obtain the first spatially resolved, mid-infrared images of IIZw096, a merging luminous infrared galaxy (LIRG) at z = 0.036. Previous observations with the Spitzer Space Telescope suggested that the vast majority of the total IR luminosity (L IR) of the system originated from a small region outside of the two merging nuclei. New observations with JWST/MIRI now allow an accurate measurement of the location and luminosity density of the source that is responsible for the bulk of the IR emission. We estimate that 40%-70% of the IR bolometric luminosity, or 3-5 × 1011 L ⊙, arises from a source no larger than 175 pc in radius, suggesting a luminosity density of at least 3-5 × 1012 L ⊙ kpc−2. In addition, we detect 11 other star-forming sources, five of which were previously unknown. The MIRI F1500W/F560W colors of most of these sources, including the source responsible for the bulk of the far-IR emission, are much redder than the nuclei of local LIRGs. These observations reveal the power of JWST to disentangle the complex regions at the hearts of merging, dusty galaxies.
Author
H. Inami
Hiroshima University
J. A. Surace
California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
Lee Armus
California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
Aaron S. Evans
University of Virginia
National Radio Astronomy Observatory
K. Larson
Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)
Loreto Barcos-Munoz
University of Virginia
National Radio Astronomy Observatory
S. Stierwalt
Occidental College
J. Mazzarella
California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
G. Privon
National Radio Astronomy Observatory
University of Florida
Y. Song
University of Virginia
National Radio Astronomy Observatory
S. T. Linden
University of Massachusetts
Christopher C. Hayward
Flatiron Institute
T. Boker
European Space Agency (ESA)
U. Vivian
University of California at Irvine (UCI)
Thomas Bohn
Hiroshima University
V. Charmandaris
European University Cyprus
Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas (FORTH)
University of Crete
T. Diaz-Santos
European University Cyprus
Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas (FORTH)
Justin Howell
California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
Thomas Lai
California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
Anne M. Medling
University of Toledo
ARC Centre of Excellence for All-sky Astrophysics
Jeff Rich
Carnegie Observatories
Susanne Aalto
Chalmers, Space, Earth and Environment, Astronomy and Plasmaphysics
P. Appleton
California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
Michael J.I. Brown
Monash University
Shunshi Hoshioka
Hiroshima University
K. Iwasawa
University of Barcelona
Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies
F. Kemper
Institute of Space Sciences (ICE) - CSIC
Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC)
Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies
David Law
Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)
M. A. Malkan
University of California
Jason Marshall
Glendale Community College
E. J. Murphy
National Radio Astronomy Observatory
D. B. Sanders
University of Hawaii
P. van der Werf
Leiden University
Astrophysical Journal Letters
2041-8205 (ISSN) 2041-8213 (eISSN)
Vol. 940 1 L6Exploring the Hidden Dusty Nuclei of Galaxies (HIDDeN)
European Research Council (ERC) (789410), 2018-10-01 -- 2023-09-30.
Subject Categories
Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology
Atom and Molecular Physics and Optics
Fusion, Plasma and Space Physics
DOI
10.3847/2041-8213/ac9389