Click on the images for expanding

Proposal Abstract (source: Dr. Lee Armus)

​

Galaxies evolve through a combination of secular processes, such as cold gas accretion, and nonsecular processes, such as galactic mergers, which can trigger massive starbursts and powerful AGN. JWST will transform our understanding of galactic evolution, providing a detailed look at the physics of star formation and black hole growth in nearby merging galaxies. By using NIRSPEC, NIRCAM and MIRI, we will create a rich dataset for understanding the dynamics and energetics of the ISM on scales of 50-100pc in the nuclei of local Luminous Infrared Galaxies (LIRGs). Our targets cover a range of starburst-to-AGN power, merger stage, and IR spectral properties, and are all visible to JWST over the first 5 months of Cycle-1. We will target each nucleus with the NIRSPEC and MIRI IFUs to cover the full spectral range from 1.6-29 microns, and obtain deep, wide-field NIRCAM and MIRI images in the F150W, F200W, F335M, F356W, F444W, F560W, F770W and F1500W filters. The proposed observations will be scientifically compelling in their own right, and they will allow the community to fully explore the power of JWST to unravel the complex galactic ecosystems in active and starburst galaxies at low-redshift. Our science-enabling products include multiwavelength, ancillary datasets from Spitzer, ALMA, JVLA, AKARI and HST, valuable cross-calibration infrared datasets from Spitzer and AKARI, together with custom spectral fitting software which we will deliver and use to analyze the JWST spectral cubes. This proposal will set the stage for more extensive studies of active and starburst galaxies at low and high-redshift in Cycle-2 and beyond.