First results from the JWST Early Release Science Program Q3D: Benchmark
Comparison of Optical and Mid-IR Tracers of a Dusty, Ionized Red Quasar Wind
at z=0.435
The [OIII] 5007 A emission line is the most common tracer of warm, ionized
outflows in active galactic nuclei across cosmic time. JWST newly allows us to
use mid-infrared spectral features at both high spatial and spectral resolution
to probe these same winds. Here we present a comparison of ground-based,
seeing-limited [OIII] and space-based, diffraction-limited [SIV] 10.51 micron
maps of the powerful, kpc-scale outflow in the Type 1 red quasar SDSS
J110648.32+480712.3. The JWST data are from the Mid-InfraRed Instrument (MIRI).
There is a close match in resolution between the datasets (0."4--0."6), in
ionization potential of the O+2 and S+3 ions (35 eV), and in line sensitivity
(1e-17 to 2e-17 erg/s/cm2/arcsec2). The [OIII] and [SIV] line shapes match in
velocity and linewidth over much of the 20 kpc outflowing nebula, and [SIV] is
the brightest line in the rest-frame 3.5--19.5 micron range, demonstrating its
usefulness as a mid-IR probe of quasar outflows. [OIII] is nevertheless
intriniscally brighter and provides better contrast with the point-source
continuum, which is strong in the mid-IR. There is a strong anticorrelation of
[OIII]/[SIV] with average velocity, which is consistent with a scenario of
differential obscuration between the approaching (blueshifted) and receding
(redshifted) sides of the flow. The dust in the wind may also obscure the
central quasar, consistent with models that attribute red quasar extinction to
dusty winds.Comment: Submitted to ApJ