Observations of the planetary nebula SMP LMC 058 with the JWST MIRI medium resolution spectrometer

  • O. C. Jones
  • , J. Álvarez-Márquez
  • , G. C. Sloan
  • , P. J. Kavanagh
  • , I. Argyriou
  • , D. R. Law
  • , A. Labiano
  • , P. Patapis
  • , Michael Mueller
  • , Kirsten L. Larson
  • , Stacey N. Bright
  • , P. D. Klaassen
  • , O. D. Fox
  • , Danny Gasman
  • , V. C. Geers
  • , Adrian M. Glauser
  • , Pierre Guillard
  • , Omnarayani Nayak
  • , A. Noriega-Crespo
  • , Michael E. Ressler
  • B. Sargent, T. Temim, B. Vandenbussche, Macarena García Marín

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

47 Scopus citations

Abstract

During the commissioning of JWST, the medium-resolution spectrometer (MRS) on the mid-infrared instrument (MIRI) observed the planetary nebula SMP LMC 058 in the Large Magellanic Cloud. The MRS was designed to provide medium resolution (R = λ/Δλ) 3D spectroscopy in the whole MIRI range. SMP LMC 058 is the only source observed in JWST commissioning that is both spatially and spectrally unresolved by the MRS and is a good test of JWST's capabilities. The new MRS spectra reveal a wealth of emission lines not previously detected in this planetary nebula. From these lines, the spectral resolving power (λ/Δλ) of the MRS is confirmed to be in the range R = 4000-1500, depending on the MRS spectral sub-band. In addition, the spectra confirm that the carbon-rich dust emission is from complex hydrocarbons and SiC grains and that there is little to no time evolution of the SiC dust and emission line strengths over a 17-yr epoch. These commissioning data reveal the great potential of the MIRI MRS for the study of circumstellar and interstellar material.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)2519-2529
Number of pages11
JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Volume523
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 1 2023

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Astronomy and Astrophysics
  • Space and Planetary Science

Keywords

  • infrared: general
  • instrumentation: spectrographs
  • planetary nebulae: individual: SMP LMC 058

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