Observations of the planetary nebula SMP LMC 058 with the JWST MIRI medium resolution spectrometer
/ Authors
O. Jones, J. Álvarez-Márquez, G. Sloan, P. Kavanagh, I. Argyriou, D. Law, Á. Labiano, P. Patapis, M. Mueller, K. Larson
and 14 more authors
S. Bright, P. Klaassen, O. Fox, D. Gasman, V. Geers, A. Glauser, P. Guillard, O. Nayak, A. Noriega-Crespo, M. Ressler, B. Sargent, T. Temim, B. Vandenbussche, M. G. Mar'in
/ 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 to 1500, depending on the MRS spectral sub-band. In addition, the spectra confirm that the carbon-rich dust emission is from SiC grains and that there is little to no time evolution of the SiC dust and emission line strengths over a 17-year epoch. These commissioning data reveal the great potential of the MIRI MRS for the study of circumstellar and interstellar material.
Journal: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society