Observations of the planetary nebula SMP LMC 058 with the JWST MIRI medium resolution spectrometer
Fox, O. D.; Kavanagh, P. J.; Larson, Kirsten L.; Noriega-Crespo, A.; Labiano, A.; Vandenbussche, B.; Bright, Stacey N.; Sargent, B.; Argyriou, I.; Temim, T.; Jones, O. C.; Sloan, G. C.; Ressler, Michael E.; Álvarez-Márquez, J.; Klaassen, P. D.; Gasman, Danny; Glauser, Adrian M.; Nayak, Omnarayani; Mueller, Michael; Guillard, Pierre; Patapis, P.; Law, D. R.; García Marín, Macarena; Geers, V. C.
United Kingdom, Spain, United States, Ireland, Belgium, Switzerland, Netherlands, France
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.