Showing papers by "Oliver Krause published in 2023"
TL;DR: The Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) as mentioned in this paper extends the reach of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to 28.5 μm and provides subarcsecond-resolution imaging, high sensitivity coronagraphy and spectroscopy at resolutions of λ/Δλ ∼ 100-3500, with the high-resolution mode employing an integral field unit to provide spatial data cubes.
Abstract: The Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) extends the reach of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to 28.5 μm. It provides subarcsecond-resolution imaging, high sensitivity coronagraphy, and spectroscopy at resolutions of λ/Δλ ∼ 100–3500, with the high-resolution mode employing an integral field unit to provide spatial data cubes. The resulting broad suite of capabilities will enable huge advances in studies over this wavelength range. This overview describes the history of acquiring this capability for JWST. It discusses the basic attributes of the instrument optics, the detector arrays, and the cryocooler that keeps everything at approximately 7 K. It gives a short description of the data pipeline and of the instrument performance demonstrated during JWST commissioning. The bottom line is that the telescope and MIRI are both operating to the standards set by pre-launch predictions, and all of the MIRI capabilities are operating at, or even a bit better than, the level that had been expected. The paper is also designed to act as a roadmap to more detailed papers on different aspects of MIRI.
10 citations
13 Jul 2023
TL;DR: In this paper , the authors used the MIRI medium resolution spectrograph to spatially resolve the ejecta, equatorial ring (ER) and outer rings in the mid-infrared 12,927 days after the explosion.
Abstract: Supernova (SN) 1987A is the nearest supernova in $\sim$400 years. Using the {\em JWST} MIRI Medium Resolution Spectrograph, we spatially resolved the ejecta, equatorial ring (ER) and outer rings in the mid-infrared 12,927 days after the explosion. The spectra are rich in line and dust continuum emission, both in the ejecta and the ring. Broad emission lines (280-380~km~s$^{-1}$ FWHM) seen from all singly-ionized species originate from the expanding ER, with properties consistent with dense post-shock cooling gas. Narrower emission lines (100-170~km~s$^{-1}$ FWHM) are seen from species originating from a more extended lower-density component whose high ionization may have been produced by shocks progressing through the ER, or by the UV radiation pulse associated with the original supernova event. The asymmetric east-west dust emission in the ER has continued to fade, with constant temperature, signifying a reduction in dust mass. Small grains in the ER are preferentially destroyed, with larger grains from the progenitor surviving the transition from SN into SNR. The ER is fit with a single set of optical constants, eliminating the need for a secondary featureless hot dust component. We find several broad ejecta emission lines from [Ne~{\sc ii}], [Ar~{\sc ii}], [Fe~{\sc ii}], and [Ni~{\sc ii}]. With the exception of [Fe~{\sc ii}]~25.99$\mu$m, these all originate from the ejecta close to the ring and are likely being excited by X-rays from the interaction. The [Fe~{\sc ii}]~5.34$\mu$m to 25.99$\mu$m line ratio indicates a temperature of only a few hundred K in the inner core, consistent with being powered by ${}^{44}$Ti decay.
TL;DR: In this paper , a 3D emissivity map of the [Fe i] 1.443 μm line from the inner ejecta and the He i 1.083 μm lines from the reverse shock (RS), where the former probes the explosion geometry and the latter traces the structure of the circumstellar medium.
Abstract: We present initial results from JWST NIRSpec integral field unit observations of the nearby supernova SN 1987A. The observations provide the first spatially resolved spectroscopy of the ejecta and equatorial ring (ER) over the 1–5 μm range. We construct 3D emissivity maps of the [Fe i] 1.443 μm line from the inner ejecta and the He i 1.083 μm line from the reverse shock (RS), where the former probes the explosion geometry and the latter traces the structure of the circumstellar medium. We also present a model for the integrated spectrum of the ejecta. The [Fe i] 3D map reveals a highly asymmetric morphology resembling a broken dipole, dominated by two large clumps with velocities of ∼2300 km s−1. We also find evidence that the Fe-rich inner ejecta have started to interact with the RS. The RS surface traced by the He i line extends from just inside the ER to higher latitudes on both sides of the ER with a half-opening angle ∼45°, forming a bubble-like structure. The spectral model for the ejecta allows us to identify the many emission lines, including numerous H2 lines. We find that the H2 is most likely excited by far-UV emission, while the metal-line ratios are consistent with a combination of collisional excitation and recombination in the low-temperature ejecta. We also find several high-ionization coronal lines from the ER, requiring a temperature ≳2 × 106 K.