The Astronomical Journal (Jan 2023)
JWST’s PEARLS: Dust Attenuation and Gravitational Lensing in the Backlit-galaxy System VV 191
- William C. Keel,
- Rogier A. Windhorst,
- Rolf A. Jansen,
- Seth H. Cohen,
- Jake Summers,
- Benne Holwerda,
- Sarah T. Bradford,
- Clayton D. Robertson,
- Giovanni Ferrami,
- Stuart Wyithe,
- Haojing Yan,
- Christopher J. Conselice,
- Simon P. Driver,
- Aaron Robotham,
- Norman A. Grogin,
- Christopher N. A. Willmer,
- Anton M. Koekemoer,
- Brenda L. Frye,
- Nimish P. Hathi,
- Russell E. Ryan Jr.,
- Nor Pirzkal,
- Madeline A. Marshall,
- Dan Coe,
- Jose M. Diego,
- Thomas J. Broadhurst,
- Michael J. Rutkowski,
- Lifan Wang,
- S. P. Willner,
- Andreea Petric,
- Cheng Cheng,
- Adi Zitrin
Affiliations
- William C. Keel
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Alabama , Box 870324, Tuscaloosa, AL 35404, USA ; [email protected]
- Rogier A. Windhorst
- ORCiD
- School of Earth & Space Exploration, Arizona State University , Tempe, AZ 85287-1404, USA; Department of Physics, Arizona State University , Tempe, AZ 85287-1504, USA
- Rolf A. Jansen
- ORCiD
- School of Earth & Space Exploration, Arizona State University , Tempe, AZ 85287-1404, USA
- Seth H. Cohen
- ORCiD
- School of Earth & Space Exploration, Arizona State University , Tempe, AZ 85287-1404, USA
- Jake Summers
- ORCiD
- School of Earth & Space Exploration, Arizona State University , Tempe, AZ 85287-1404, USA
- Benne Holwerda
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Louisville , Natural Science 102, Louisville, KY 40292, USA
- Sarah T. Bradford
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Alabama , Box 870324, Tuscaloosa, AL 35404, USA ; [email protected]
- Clayton D. Robertson
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Louisville , Natural Science 102, Louisville, KY 40292, USA
- Giovanni Ferrami
- ORCiD
- School of Physics, University of Melbourne , Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia; ARC Centre of Excellence for All Sky Astrophysics in 3 Dimensions (ASTRO 3D) , Australia
- Stuart Wyithe
- ORCiD
- School of Physics, University of Melbourne , Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia; ARC Centre of Excellence for All Sky Astrophysics in 3 Dimensions (ASTRO 3D) , Australia
- Haojing Yan
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Missouri , Columbia, MO 65211, USA
- Christopher J. Conselice
- ORCiD
- Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, University of Manchester , Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
- Simon P. Driver
- ORCiD
- International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) and the International Space Centre (ISC), The University of Western Australia , M468, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
- Aaron Robotham
- ORCiD
- International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), The University of Western Australia , M468, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
- Norman A. Grogin
- ORCiD
- Space Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Christopher N. A. Willmer
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy/Steward Observatory, University of Arizona , 933 N. Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
- Anton M. Koekemoer
- ORCiD
- Space Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Brenda L. Frye
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy/Steward Observatory, University of Arizona , 933 N. Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
- Nimish P. Hathi
- ORCiD
- Space Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Russell E. Ryan Jr.
- ORCiD
- Space Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Nor Pirzkal
- ORCiD
- Space Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Madeline A. Marshall
- ORCiD
- National Research Council of Canada , Herzberg Astronomy & Astrophysics Research Centre, 5071 West Saanich Road, Victoria, BC V9E 2E7, Canada
- Dan Coe
- ORCiD
- AURA for the European Space Agency (ESA), Space Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Jose M. Diego
- ORCiD
- Instituto de Física de Cantabria, Edificio Juan Jordá, Avenida de los Castros s/n, E-39005 Santander, Cantabria, Spain; Instituto de Física de Cantabria (CSIC-UC) . Avenida. Los Castros, s/n. E-39005 Santander, Spain
- Thomas J. Broadhurst
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU , E-48080 Bilbao, Spain; DIPC, Basque Country UPV/EHU, E-48080 San Sebastian , Spain; Ikerbasque, Basque Foundation for Science, E-48011 Bilbao, Spain
- Michael J. Rutkowski
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Minnesota State University , Mankato, Mankato, MN 56001, USA
- Lifan Wang
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Texas A& M University , Mitchell Physics Building (MPHY) 4242 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843-4242, USA
- S. P. Willner
- ORCiD
- Center for Astrophysics ∣ Harvard & Smithsonian , 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- Andreea Petric
- ORCiD
- Space Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21210, USA
- Cheng Cheng
- ORCiD
- Chinese Academy of Sciences , National Astronomical Observatories, CAS, Beijing 100101, People's Republic of China
- Adi Zitrin
- ORCiD
- Physics Department, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev , P.O. Box 653, Beer-Sheva 8410501, Israel
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/acbdff
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 165,
no. 4
p. 166
Abstract
We derive the spatial and wavelength behavior of dust attenuation in the multiple-armed spiral galaxy VV 191b using backlighting by the superimposed elliptical system VV 191a in a pair with an exceptionally favorable geometry for this measurement. Imaging using the James Webb Space Telescope and Hubble Space Telescope spans the wavelength range 0.3–4.5 μ m with high angular resolution, tracing the dust in detail from 0.6–1.5 μ m. Distinct dust lanes continue well beyond the bright spiral arms, and trace a complex web, with a very sharp radial cutoff near 1.7 Petrosian radii. We present attenuation profiles and coverage statistics in each band at radii 14–21 kpc. We derive the attenuation law with wavelength; the data both within and between the dust lanes clearly favor a stronger reddening behavior ( R = A _V / E _B _− _V ≈ 2.0 between 0.6 and 0.9 μ m, approaching unity by 1.5 μ m) than found for starbursts and star-forming regions of galaxies. Power-law extinction behavior ∝ λ ^− ^β gives β = 2.1 from 0.6–0.9 μ m. R decreases at increasing wavelengths ( R ≈ 1.1 between 0.9 and 1.5 μ m), while β steepens to 2.5. Mixing regions of different column density flattens the wavelength behavior, so these results suggest a different grain population than in our vicinity. The NIRCam images reveal a lens arc and counterimage from a background galaxy at z ≈ 1, spanning 90° azimuthally at 2.″8 from the foreground elliptical-galaxy nucleus, and an additional weakly lensed galaxy. The lens model and imaging data give a mass/light ratio M / L _B = 7.6 in solar units within the Einstein radius 2.0 kpc.
Keywords
