arXiv subjects

G. H. Rieke

Publications and source records attributed to G. H. Rieke.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

JWST Reveals Two Overmassive Black Hole Candidates in Dwarf Galaxies at z $\approx$ 0.7: Pushing Black Hole Searches into the Dwarf-Galaxy Regime

We report the discovery and characterization of two compact galaxies, Pelias and Neleus, at z ~ 0.71 and z ~ 0.75, identified in MACS J0416.1-2403 and GOODS-North. Both exhibit unusual spectral energy distributions (SEDs), with very blue rest-frame UV-optical emission and a steep rise toward near- and mid-infrared wavelengths. JWST/NIRISS and JWST/NIRSpec spectroscopy show strong rest-frame optical lines ([O III] 4959,5007 and Halpha) with extreme equivalent widths (>= 1000 Angstrom), indicating young burst-dominated populations with low metallicities (Z ~ 0.1-0.4 Zsun), low dust attenuation (Av ~ 0.2 mag), and stellar masses of Mstar ~ 10^7 Msun. Nonetheless, JWST/MIRI photometry reveals a strong mid-infrared excess that cannot be explained by stellar populations or star-formation-heated dust alone, requiring a hot-dust component most naturally associated with a deeply embedded active galactic nucleus (AGN). SED modelling yields log10(Lbol [erg/s]) ~ 43.7-44.0, implying black hole masses of log10(MBH [Msun]) ~ 5.7-6.7 under the assumption of Eddington-limited accretion. Given the very low stellar masses of the hosts, this corresponds to black-hole-to-stellar mass ratios of about 6-60%, well above the extrapolation of local scaling relations. The lack of X-ray detections suggests that the accretion may be either heavily obscured or intrinsically X-ray weak. Their SEDs also resemble those of Blue Excess Hot Dust Obscured Galaxies and show the characteristic V-shaped continuum seen in Little Red Dots, although with the inflection occurring at redder wavelengths.

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arXiv2025

Not Just a Dot: the complex UV morphology and underlying properties of Little Red Dots

We analyze 99 photometrically selected Little Red Dots (LRDs) at $z \approx 4-8$ in the GOODS fields, leveraging ultra-deep JADES NIRCam short-wavelength (SW) data. We examine the morphology of 30 LRDs, while the remaining 69 appear predominantly compact, with sizes $\leq 400$ pc and no extended components even in stacked SW images. However, their unresolved nature may partly reflect current depth limitations, which could prevent the detection of faint diffuse components. Among the 30 morphologically analyzed LRDs, 50% show multiple associated components, while the rest exhibit highly asymmetric structures, despite appearing as single sources. This diversity in rest-frame UV morphologies may point to interactions or strong internal feedback. We find median stellar masses of $\log_{10}(M_{\star}/M_{\odot}) = 9.07_{-0.08}^{+0.11}$ for pure stellar models with $A_{V} \approx 1.16^{+0.11}{-0.21}$ mag, and $\log{10}(M_{\star}/M_{\odot}) = 9.67^{+0.17}{-0.27}$ for models including AGNs with $A{V} \approx 2.74^{+0.55}_{-0.71}$ mag, in line with recent studies suggesting higher masses and dust content for AGN-fitted LRDs. NIRSpec spectra are available for 15 sources, six of which are also in the morphological sample. Broad H$α$ is detected in 40% (FWHM = 1200-2900 km/s), and one source shows broad H$β$ emission. Emission line ratios indicate a composite nature, consistent with both AGN and stellar processes. Altogether, these results suggest that LRDs are a mixed population, and their rest-frame UV morphology reflects this complexity. Morphological studies of larger samples could provide a new way to understand what drives their properties and evolution.

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arXiv2022

Mid-infrared time-domain study of recent dust production events in the extreme debris disc of TYC 4209-1322-1

Extreme debris discs are characterized by unusually strong mid-infrared excess emission, which often proves to be variable. The warm dust in these discs is of transient nature and is likely related to a recent giant collision occurring close to the star in the terrestrial region. Here we present the results of a 877 days long, gap-free photometric monitoring performed by the Spitzer Space Telescope of the recently discovered extreme debris disc around TYC 4209-1322-1. By combining these observations with other time-domain optical and mid-infrared data, we explore the disc variability of the last four decades with particular emphasis on the last 12 yr. During the latter interval the disc showed substantial changes, the most significant was the brightening and subsequent fading between 2014 and 2018 as outlined in WISE data. The Spitzer light curves outline the fading phase and a subsequent new brightening of the disc after 2018, revealing an additional flux modulation with a period of ~39 days on top of the long-term trend. We found that all these variations can be interpreted as the outcome of a giant collision that happened at an orbital radius of ~0.3 au sometime in 2014. Our analysis implies that a collision on a similar scale could have taken place around 2010, too. The fact that the disc was already peculiarly dust rich 40 yr ago, as implied by IRAS data, suggests that these dust production events belong to a chain of large impacts triggered by an earlier even more catastrophic collision.

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arXiv2021

Infrared Absolute Calibration I: Comparison of Sirius with Fainter Calibration Stars

A challenge in absolute calibration is to relate very bright stars with physical flux measurements to faint ones within range of modern instruments, e.g. those on large groundbased telescopes or on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). We propose Sirius as the fiducial color standard: it is an A0V star that is slowly rotating and does not have infrared excesses either due to hot dust or a planetary debris disk; it also has a number of accurate (~ 1 - 2%) absolute flux measurements. We transfer the near infrared flux from Sirius accurately to BD +60 1753, an unobscured early A-type star (A1V, V ~ 9.6, E(B-V) ~ 0.009) that is faint enough to serve as a primary absolute flux calibrator for JWST. Its near-infrared spectral energy distribution and that of Sirius should be virtually identical. We have determined its output relative to that of Sirius in a number of different ways, all of which give consistent results within ~ 1%. We also transfer the calibration to GSPC P330-E, a well calibrated close solar analog (G2V). We have emphasized the 2MASS K_S band since it represents a large number and long history of measurements, but theoretical spectra (i.e., from CALSPEC) of these stars can be used to extend this result throughout the near- and mid-infrared.

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arXiv2021

Accurate Photometry of Saturated Stars Using the Point-Spread-Function Wing Technique with Spitzer

We report Spitzer 3.6 and 4.5 $μ$m photometry of 11 bright stars relative to Sirius, exploiting the unique optical stability of the Spitzer Space Telescope point spread function (PSF). Spitzer's extremely stable beryllium optics in its isothermal environment enables precise comparisons in the wings of the PSF from heavily saturated stars. These bright stars stand as the primary sample to improve stellar models, and to transfer the absolute flux calibration of bright standard stars to a sample of fainter standards useful for missions like JWST and for large groundbased telescopes. We demonstrate that better than 1% relative photometry can be achieved using the PSF wing technique in the radial range of 20--100\arcsec\ for stars that are fainter than Sirius by 8 mag (from outside the saturated core to a large radius where a high signal-to-noise profile can still be obtained). We test our results by (1) comparing the [3.6]$-$[4.5] color with that expected between the WISE W1 and W2 bands, (2) comparing with stars where there is accurate $K_{\text{S}}$ photometry, and (3) also comparing with relative fluxes obtained with the DIRBE instrument on COBE. These tests confirm that relative photometry is achieved to better than 1%.

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arXiv2021

Extreme Variability of the V488 Persei Debris Disk

V488 Persei is the most extreme debris disk known in terms of the fraction of the stellar luminosity it intercepts and reradiates. The infrared output of its disk is extremely variable, similar in this respect to the most variable disk known previously, that around ID8 in NGC 2547. We show that the variations are likely to be due to collisions of large planetesimals (> 100 km in diameter) in a belt being stirred gravitationally by a planetary or low-mass-brown-dwarf member of a planetary system around the star. The dust being produced by the resulting collisions is falling into the star due to drag by the stellar wind. The indicated planetesimal destruction rate is so high that it is unlikely that the current level of activity can persist for much longer than ~ 1000 - 10,000 years, and it may signal a major realignment of the configuration of the planetary system.

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arXiv2019

ALMA 200-parsec Resolution Imaging of Smooth Cold Dusty Disks in Typical $z \sim 3$ Star-Forming Galaxies

We present high-fidelity, 30 milliarcsecond (200-pc) resolution ALMA rest-frame 240 $μ$m observations of cold dust emission in three typical main-sequence star-forming galaxies (SFGs) at $z \sim 3$ in the Hubble Ultra-Deep Field (HUDF). The cold dust is distributed within the smooth disk-like central regions of star formation $1 - 3$ kpc in diameter, despite their complex and disturbed rest-frame UV and optical morphologies. No dust substructures or clumps are seen down to $\simeq 1- 3$ $M_\odot$yr$^{-1}$ (1$σ$) per 200-pc beam. No dust emission is observed at the locations of UV-emitting clumps, which lie $\simeq 2-10$ kpc from the bulk of star formation. Clumpy substructures can contribute no more than $1-7$% of the total star formation in these galaxies (3$σ$ upper limits). The lack of star-forming substructures in our HUDF galaxies is to be contrasted with the multiple substructures characteristic of submillimeter-selected galaxies (SMGs) at the same cosmic epoch, particularly the far-IR-bright SMGs with similarly high-fidelity ALMA observations of Hodge et al. (2019). Individual star-forming substructures in these SMGs contain $\sim10-30$% of their total star formation. A substructure in these SMGs is often comparably bright in the far-infrared as (or in some cases brighter than) our typical SFGs, suggesting that these SMGs originate from a class of disruptive event involving multiple objects at the scale of our HUDF galaxies. The scale of the disruptive event found in our main-sequence SFGs, characterized by the lack of star-forming substructures at our resolution and sensitivity, could be less violent, e.g., gas-rich disk instability or minor mergers.

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arXiv2019

Near-Infrared Variability of Low Mass Stars in IC 1396A and TR 37

We have monitored nearly a square degree in IC 1396A/Tr 37 over 21 epochs extending over 2014 - 2016 for sources variable in the JHK bands. In our data, 65 +\- 8 % of previously identified cluster members show variations, compared with < 0.3% of field stars. We identify 119 members of Tr 37 on the basis of variability, forming an unbiased sample down to the brown dwarf regime. The K-band luminosity function in Tr 37 is similar to that of IC 348 but shifted to somewhat brighter values, implying that the K- and M-type members of Tr 37 are younger than those in IC 348. We introduce methods to classify the causes of variability, based on behavior in the color-color and color-magnitude diagrams. Accretion hot spots cause larger variations at J than at K with substantial scatter in the diagrams; there are at least a dozen, with the most active resembling EXors. Eleven sources are probably dominated by intervention of dust clumps in their circumstellar disks with color behavior indicating the presence of grains larger than for interstellar dust, presumably due to grain growth in their disks. Thirteen sources have larger variations at K than at J or H. For 11 of them, the temperature fitted to the variable component is very close to 2000K, suggesting that the changes in output are caused by turbulence at the inner rim of the circumstellar disk exposing previously protected populations of grains.

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arXiv2018

Cospatial Star Formation and Supermassive Black Hole Growth in $z \sim 3$ Galaxies: Evidence for In-situ Co-evolution

We present a sub-kpc localization of the sites of supermassive black hole (SMBH) growth in three active galactic nuclei (AGN) at $z \sim 3$ in relation to the regions of intense star formation in their hosts. These AGNs are selected from Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) and Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations in the HUDF and COSMOS, with the centimetric radio emission tracing both star formation and AGN, and the sub/millimeter emission by dust tracing nearly pure star formation. We require radio emission to be $\geqslant5\times$ more luminous than the level associated with the sub/millimeter star formation to ensure that the radio emission is AGN-dominated, thereby allowing localization of the AGN and star formation independently. In all three galaxies, the AGN are located within the compact regions of gas-rich, heavily obscured, intense nuclear star formation, with $R_e = 0.4-1.1$ kpc and average star formation rates of $\simeq100-1200$ $M_\odot$yr$^{-1}$. If the current episode of star formation continues at such a rate over the stellar mass doubling time of their hosts, $\simeq 0.2$ Gyr, the newly formed stellar mass will be of the order of $10^{11}$ $M_\odot$ within the central kpc region, concurrently and cospatially with significant growth of the SMBH. This is consistent with a picture of in-situ galactic bulge and SMBH formation. This work demonstrates the unique complementarity of VLA and ALMA observations to unambiguously pinpoint the locations of AGN and star formation down to $\simeq30$ mas, corresponding to $\simeq 230$ pc at $z = 3$.

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arXiv2017

Dust-Deficient Palomar-Green Quasars and the Diversity of AGN Intrinsic IR Emission

To elucidate the intrinsic broadband infrared (IR) emission properties of active galactic nuclei (AGNs), we analyze the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of 87 z<0.5 Palomar-Green (PG) quasars. While the Elvis AGN template with a moderate far-IR correction can reasonably match the SEDs of the AGN components in ~60% of the sample (and is superior to alternatives such as that by Assef), it fails on two quasar populations: 1) hot-dust-deficient (HDD) quasars that show very weak emission thoroughly from the near-IR to the far-IR, and 2) warm-dust-deficient (WDD) quasars that have similar hot dust emission as normal quasars but are relatively faint in the mid- and far-IR. After building composite AGN templates for these dust-deficient quasars, we successfully fit the 0.3-500 μm SEDs of the PG sample with the appropriate AGN template, an infrared template of a star-forming galaxy, and a host galaxy stellar template. 20 HDD and 12 WDD quasars are identified from the SED decomposition, including seven ambiguous cases. Compared with normal quasars, the HDD quasars have AGN with relatively low Eddington ratios and the fraction of WDD quasars increases with AGN luminosity. Moreover, both the HDD and WDD quasar populations show relatively stronger mid-IR silicate emission. Virtually identical SED properties are also found in some quasars from z = 0.5 to 6. We propose a conceptual model to demonstrate that the observed dust deficiency of quasars can result from a change of structures of the circumnuclear tori that can occur at any cosmic epoch.

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arXiv2016

VLA and ALMA Imaging of Intense, Galaxy-Wide Star Formation in z ~ 2 Galaxies

We present $\simeq$0$.\!\!^{\prime\prime}4$-resolution extinction-independent distributions of star formation and dust in 11 star-forming galaxies (SFGs) at $z = 1.3-3.0$. These galaxies are selected from sensitive, blank-field surveys of the $2' \times 2'$ Hubble Ultra-Deep Field at $λ= 5$ cm and 1.3 mm using the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) and Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). They have star-formation rates (SFRs), stellar masses, and dust properties representative of massive main-sequence SFGs at $z \sim 2$. Morphological classification performed on spatially-resolved stellar mass maps indicates a mixture of disk and morphologically disturbed systems; half of the sample harbor X-ray active galactic nuclei (AGN), thereby representing a diversity of $z \sim 2$ SFGs undergoing vigorous mass assembly. We find that their intense star formation most frequently occurs at the location of stellar-mass concentration and extends over an area comparable to their stellar-mass distribution, with a median diameter of $4.2 \pm 1.8$ kpc. This provides direct evidence for galaxy-wide star formation in distant, blank-field-selected main-sequence SFGs. The typical galactic-average SFR surface density is 2.5 M$_{\odot}$yr$^{-1}$kpc$^{-2}$, sufficiently high to drive outflows. In X-ray-selected AGN where radio emission is enhanced over the level associated with star formation, the radio excess pinpoints the AGN, which are found to be co-spatial with star formation. The median extinction-independent size of main-sequence SFGs is two times larger than those of bright submillimeter galaxies whose SFRs are $3-8$ times larger, providing a constraint on the characteristic SFR ($\sim300$ M$_{\odot}$yr$^{-1}$) above which a significant population of more compact star-forming galaxies appears to emerge.

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arXiv2016

Protoplanetary and Transitional Disks in the Open Stellar Cluster IC 2395

We present new deep UBVRI images and high-resolution multi-object optical spectroscopy of the young (~ 6 - 10 Myr old), relatively nearby (800 pc) open cluster IC 2395. We identify nearly 300 cluster members and use the photometry to estimate their spectral types, which extend from early B to middle M. We also present an infrared imaging survey of the central region using the IRAC and MIPS instruments on board the Spitzer Space Telescope, covering the wavelength range from 3.6 to 24 microns. Our infrared observations allow us to detect dust in circumstellar disks originating over a typical range of radii ~ 0.1 to ~ 10AU from the central star. We identify 18 Class II, 8 transitional disk, and 23 debris disk candidates, respectively 6.5%, 2.9%, and 8.3% of the cluster members with appropriate data. We apply the same criteria for transitional disk identification to 19 other stellar clusters and associations spanning ages from ~ 1 to ~ 18 Myr. We find that the number of disks in the transitional phase as a fraction of the total with strong 24 micron excesses ([8] - [24] > 1.5) increases from 8.4 +\- 1.3% at ~ 3 Myr to 46 +\- 5% at ~ 10 Myr. Alternative definitions of transitional disks will yield different percentages but should show the same trend.

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arXiv2015

The Contribution of Host Galaxies to the Infrared Energy Output of $z\gtrsim5.0$ QUASARS

The infrared spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of $z\gtrsim 5$ quasars can be reproduced by combining a low-metallicity galaxy template with a standard AGN template. The host galaxy is represented by Haro 11, a compact, moderately low metallicity, star-bursting galaxy that shares typical features of high-$z$ galaxies. For the vast majority of $z\gtrsim 5$ quasars, the AGN contribution is well modeled by a standard empirical template with the contamination of star formation in the infrared subtracted. Together, these two templates can separate the contributions from the host galaxy and the AGN even in the case of limited data points, given that this model has only two free parameters. Using this method, we re-analyze 69 $z\gtrsim 5$ quasars with extensive Herschel observations, and derive their AGN luminosities $L_{\rm AGN}$ in a range $\sim (0.78-27.4) \times10^{13}\, L_{\odot}$, the infrared luminosities from star formation $L_{\rm SF,IR} \sim (<1.5-25.7)\times10^{12}\, L_{\odot}$, and the corresponding star formation rates ${\rm SFR}\sim (<290-2650)\, M_\odot/{\rm yr}$. The average infrared luminosity from star formation and the average total AGN luminosity of the $z\gtrsim5$ quasar sample follows the correlation defined by quasars at $z < 2.6$. We assume these quasar host galaxies maintain a constant average SFR ($\sim620\, M_\odot/{\rm yr}$) during their mass assembly and estimate the stellar mass that could form till $z\sim5-6$ to be $\langle M_* \rangle \sim(3-5)\times10^{11} M_\odot$. Combining with the black hole (BH) mass measurements, this stellar mass is adequate to establish a BH-galaxy mass ratio $M_{\rm BH}/M_{*}$ at 0.1-1%, consistent with the local relation.

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arXiv2015

A Herschel Study of 24 micron-Selected AGNs and Their Host Galaxies

We present a sample of 290 24-micron-selected active galactic nuclei (AGNs) mostly at z ~ 0.3 -- 2.5, within 5.2 square degrees distributed as 25' X 25' fields around each of 30 galaxy clusters in the Local Cluster Substructure Survey (LoCuSS). The sample is nearly complete to 1 mJy at 24 microns, and has a rich multi-wavelength set of ancillary data; 162 are detected by Herschel. We use spectral templates for AGNs, stellar populations, and infrared emission by star forming galaxies to decompose the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of these AGNs and their host galaxies, and estimate their star formation rates (SFRs), AGN luminosities, and host galaxy stellar masses. The set of templates is relatively simple: a standard Type-1 quasar template; another for the photospheric output of the stellar population; and a far infrared star-forming template. For the Type-2 AGN SEDs, we substitute templates including internal obscuration, and some Type-1 objects require a warm component (T > 50 K). The individually Herschel- detected Type-1 AGNs and a subset of 17 Type-2 ones typically have luminosities > 10^{45} ergs/s, and supermassive black holes of ~ 3 X 10^8 Msun emitting at ~ 10% of the Eddington rate. We find them in about twice the numbers of AGN identified in SDSS data in the same fields, i.e., they represent typical high luminosity AGN, not an infrared-selected minority. These AGNs and their host galaxies are studied further in an accompanying paper.

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arXiv2015

The Mid-Infrared Instrument for the James Webb Space Telescope I: Introduction

MIRI (the Mid-Infrared Instrument for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)) operates from 5 to 28.5 microns and combines over this range: 1.) unprecedented sensitivity levels; 2.) sub-arcsec angular resolution; 3.) freedom from atmospheric interference; 4.) the inherent stability of observing in space; and 5.) a suite of versatile capabilities including imaging, low and medium resolution spectroscopy (with an integral field unit), and coronagraphy. We illustrate the potential uses of this unique combination of capabilities with various science examples: 1.) imaging exoplanets; 2.) transit and eclipse spectroscopy of exoplanets; 3.) probing the first stages of star and planet formation, including identifying bioactive molecules; 4.) determining star formation rates and mass growth as galaxies are assembled; and 5.) characterizing the youngest massive galaxies. This paper is the introduction to a series of ten covering all aspects of the instrument.

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arXiv2015

The Mid-Infrared Instrument for JWST, II: Design and Build

The Mid-InfraRed Instrument (MIRI) on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) provides measurements over the wavelength range 5 to 28.5 microns. MIRI has, within a single 'package', four key scientific functions: photometric imaging, coronagraphy, single-source low-spectral resolving power (R ~ 100) spectroscopy, and medium-resolving power (R ~ 1500 to 3500) integral field spectroscopy. An associated cooler system maintains MIRI at its operating temperature of < 6.7 K. This paper describes the driving principles behind the design of MIRI, the primary design parameters, and their realization in terms of the 'as-built' instrument. It also describes the test program that led to delivery of the tested and calibrated Flight Model to NASA in 2012, and the confirmation after delivery of the key interface requirements.

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arXiv2015

The Mid-Infrared Instrument for the James Webb Space Telescope, V: Predicted Performance of the MIRI Coronagraphs

The imaging channel on the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) is equipped with four coronagraphs that provide high contrast imaging capabilities for studying faint point sources and extended emission that would otherwise be overwhelmed by a bright point-source in its vicinity. Such bright sources might include stars that are orbited by exoplanets and circumstellar material, mass-loss envelopes around post-main-sequence stars, the near-nuclear environments in active galaxies, and the host galaxies of distant quasars. This paper describes the coronagraphic observing modes of MIRI, as well as performance estimates based on measurements of the MIRI flight model during cryo-vacuum testing. A brief outline of coronagraphic operations is also provided. Finally, simulated MIRI coronagraphic observations of a few astronomical targets are presented for illustration.

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arXiv2015

The Mid-Infrared Instrument for the James Webb Space Telescope, VII: The MIRI Detectors

The MIRI Si:As IBC detector arrays extend the heritage technology from the Spitzer IRAC arrays to a 1024 x 1024 pixel format. We provide a short discussion of the principles of operation, design, and performance of the individual MIRI detectors, in support of a description of their operation in arrays provided in an accompanying paper (Ressler et al. (2015)). We then describe modeling of their response. We find that electron diffusion is an important component of their performance, although it was omitted in previous models. Our new model will let us optimize the bias voltage while avoiding avalanche gain. It also predicts the fraction of the IR-active layer that is depleted (and thus contributes to the quantum efficiency) as signal is accumulated on the array amplifier. Another set of models accurately predicts the nonlinearity of the detector-amplifier unit and has guided determination of the corrections for nonlinearity. Finally, we discuss how diffraction at the interpixel gaps and total internal reflection can produce the extended cross-like artifacts around images with these arrays at short wavelengths, ~ 5 microns. The modeling of the behavior of these devices is helping optimize how we operate them and also providing inputs to the development of the data pipeline.

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