Resolved Dust in z≈1 Galaxies with JWST/MIRI MRS: Survey Description and First View on PAHs, Mid-IR Atomic Emission, and Warm H₂

@misc{wang2026resolved,
  title = {{Resolved Dust in $z\approx1$ Galaxies with JWST/MIRI MRS: Survey Description and First View on PAHs, Mid-IR Atomic Emission, and Warm H$_2$}},
  author = {Wuji Wang and Andreas L. Faisst and Thomas S. -Y. Lai and Kyle Finner and Jed McKinney and Andrew J. Battisti and Irene Shivaei and Leindert A. Boogaard and Daizhong Liu and Yu-Heng Lin and Lun-Jun Liu and Georgios Magdis and Vincenzo Mainieri and Alexander Rodriguez and John D. Silverman and Zhaoxuan Liu and Minju M. Lee and Ghassem Gozaliasl and Maximilien Franco},
  howpublished = {arXiv},
  year = {2026},
  month = sep,
  doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2608.27560},
  eprint = {2608.27560},
  archivePrefix = {arXiv},
  url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.27560},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}

TY  - UNPB
TI  - Resolved Dust in z≈1 Galaxies with JWST/MIRI MRS: Survey Description and First View on PAHs, Mid-IR Atomic Emission, and Warm H_2
AU  - Wuji Wang
AU  - Andreas L. Faisst
AU  - Thomas S. -Y. Lai
AU  - Kyle Finner
AU  - Jed McKinney
AU  - Andrew J. Battisti
AU  - Irene Shivaei
AU  - Leindert A. Boogaard
AU  - Daizhong Liu
AU  - Yu-Heng Lin
AU  - Lun-Jun Liu
AU  - Georgios Magdis
AU  - Vincenzo Mainieri
AU  - Alexander Rodriguez
AU  - John D. Silverman
AU  - Zhaoxuan Liu
AU  - Minju M. Lee
AU  - Ghassem Gozaliasl
AU  - Maximilien Franco
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/16
PB  - arXiv
DO  - 10.48550/arxiv.2608.27560
UR  - https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.27560
AB  - Dust is a key component of galaxies that regulates their thermal balance and, consequently, star formation and the build-up of stellar mass. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are responsible for reprocessing radiative energy of the galaxies thus tracing dust evolution. Using JWST/MIRI MRS, we present the first resolved view of the PAHs and mid-infrared emission lines in a sample of eight z≈1 galaxies. A key novelty is our ability to directly map PAH emission near the end of cosmic noon at JWST's limits. The sample is selected to be on the star-forming main-sequence with stellar masses M_⋆=10^10.6−11.2 M_⊙ and infrared luminosities L_IR=10^11.5−11.9 L_⊙. Two of them contain active galactic nuclei (AGN), and two are interacting systems. We detect and quantify primary PAH emissions from 3.3μm to 11.3μm throughout the galaxies, alongside atomic fine structure lines (Ar, Ne, and Fe), Brα, and H_2 rotational transitions. Through PAH ratio diagnostics and comparison to theoretical models, we qualitatively probe the physical properties of PAH molecules, i.e., size and charge. The AGN and mergers in our sample exhibit a higher fraction of neutral PAHs, possibly related to high radiation intensity and/or shocks, as suggested by increased atomic and H_2 line ratios. Leveraging the IFU data, we find that the grain sizes of the centrally located PAHs tend to be larger and less ionized than those in the outskirts of the galaxies. Finally, we compare our results to observations of PAHs in local and similar-redshift galaxies, revealing a potential evolutionary trend when controlling L_IR.
ER  -