The James Webb Space Telescope Absolute Flux Calibration. III. Mid-Infrared Instrument Medium Resolution IFU Spectrometer

TL;DR

This paper details the calibration process of JWST's MIRI MRS instrument, addressing time-dependent throughput changes, and achieving high-precision flux calibration across mid-infrared wavelengths.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive calibration methodology for MIRI MRS, including correction for throughput evolution and validation against standard sources and prior missions.

Findings

Photometric repeatability better than 1% from 5-18um

Calibration agreement within 1% with MIRI imager

Flux calibration consistent with prior Spitzer, Cassini, Voyager data

Abstract

We describe the spectrophotometric calibration of the Mid-Infrared Instrument's (MIRI) Medium Resolution Spectrometer (MRS) aboard the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). This calibration is complicated by a time-dependent evolution in the effective throughput of the MRS; this evolution is strongest at long wavelengths, approximately a factor of 2 at 25um over the first two years of the mission. We model and correct for this evolution through regular observations of internal calibration lamps. Pixel flatfields are constructed from observations of the infrared-bright planetary nebula NGC 7027, and photometric aperture corrections from a combination of theoretical models and observations of bright standard stars. We tie the 5--18um flux calibration to high signal/noise (S/N; ~ 600-1000) observations of the O9 V star 10 Lacertae, scaled to the average calibration factor of nine other spectrophotometric standards. We calibrate the 18--28um spectral range using a combination of observations of main belt asteroid 515 Athalia and the circumstellar disk around young stellar object SAO 206462. The photometric repeatability is stable to better than 1% in the wavelength range 5--18um, and the S/N ratio of the delivered spectra is consistent between bootstrapped measurements, pipeline estimates, and theoretical predictions. The MRS point-source calibration agrees with that of the MIRI imager to within 1% from 7 to 21um and is approximately 1% fainter than prior Spitzer observations, while the extended source calibration agrees well with prior Cassini/CIRS and Voyager/IRIS observations.