The Metallicity Dependence of PAH Emission in Galaxies. II. Insights from JWST/NIRCam Imaging of the Smallest Dust Grains in M101

The Astrophysical Journal 2026 Open access

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Authors: Cory M. Whitcomb, J. D. Smith, Elizabeth Tarantino, Karin Sandström, Thomas S. -Y. Lai, L. Armus, Alberto D. Bolatto, Martha L. Boyer, Daniel A. Dale, B. T. Draine, Brandon S. Hensley, Desika Narayanan
+2 more Julia Román-Duval, Evan D. Skillman
DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/ae4902
Cited by: 2
References: 58

Abstract

Abstract We explore the physical origins of the observed deficit of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) at subsolar metallicity using JWST/NIRCam imaging of the nearby galaxy M101, covering regions from solar metallicity ( Z ⊙ ) down to 0.4 Z ⊙ . These maps are used to trace the radial evolution of the shortest-wavelength PAH feature at 3.3 μ m, which is emitted preferentially by the smallest PAHs (

Fields of Study & Subjects

Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies Galaxies: Formation Evolution Phenomena Astronomy and Astrophysical Research

Publication details

Journal / source
The Astrophysical Journal
Publisher
American Astronomical Society
Volume
1000
Issue
2
Pages
211–211
Publication date
24 March 2026