AGN--Host Galaxy Image Decomposition with JWST

TL;DR

This study evaluates how different PSF models and fitting software affect measurements of AGN host galaxy properties using JWST imaging, revealing limitations in current modeling approaches.

Contribution

It systematically compares PSF modeling and fitting software for AGN-host decomposition, highlighting inconsistencies and limitations in morphological parameter recovery.

Findings

PSFEx models fail to match typical point source profiles

Galfit and AstroPhot yield different host galaxy parameters

Sérsic index and radius are covariant and not well constrained

Abstract

The ability to disentangle the light of an AGN from its host galaxy is strongly dependent on the spatial resolution and depth of the imaging. As the capabilities of imaging systems improve with time, confirming that our standard techniques adequately model the increasingly complex structures unveiled is essential. With JWST providing unprecedented image quality, we can test how measurements of galaxy morphology vary with the choice of point-spread function (PSF) and fitting software. We perform two-component S\'ersic+PSF fits of the surface brightness profiles of 87 X-ray AGNs $(0.1 < z < 4)$ from the CEERS survey. We create model PSFs for NIRCam F115W imaging using both photutils and PSFEx. We find that PSFEx models consistently fail to match the radial profile of typical point sources within our sample. We then perform AGN--host decompositions on each source by creating S\'ersic+PSF models using both Galfit and AstroPhot. We find that Galfit and AstroPhot converge to different regions of the parameter space, providing consistently differing host galaxy properties. While we can measure the AGN and host magnitudes accurately, we find that the host galaxy morphological parameters are not well-determined -- the S\'ersic index and effective radius are strongly covariant. Significant changes in the host galaxy parameters do not correspond to changes in the statistical quality of fit, nor to significant changes in the model's radial profile. These results indicate that the S\'ersic profile does not uniquely well-represent typical AGN host galaxies in extragalactic survey fields. We also provide recommendations for studies of AGN hosts comparable to ours.