Mid-IR luminosity functions: inferred dusty cosmic star-formation and black hole accretion histories from the JWST SMILES

2025/12/24 by Chih-Teng Ling, Tomotsugu Goto, Ling, Chih-Teng +13
Physics and Astronomy · #Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena #Astronomy and Astrophysical Research #Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations

paper · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2512.20945

Abstract

Mid-infrared (mid-IR) observations are crucial for understanding galaxy evolution, tracing star formation, and active galactic nuclei (AGN) activity via dust emission. This work presents mid-IR galaxy luminosity functions (LFs) at 0.5 < z < 6, derived from the JWST Systematic Mid-infrared Instrument Legacy Extragalactic Survey (SMILES) program. We combine 8 MIRI bands (5-25 μm) of SMILES and archival 23-band HST+JWST NIRCam photometry to construct an extensive catalog containing 2,813 galaxies with sub-μJy level completeness in the mid-IR. We obtain monochromatic (in 5.6, 7.7, 10, 12.8, 15, 18, 21, and 25.5 μm), L_{\rm IR}, and AGN LFs, with a limiting luminosity down to 10^9.5 L_\odot at z=0.5-1.0, ∼10^10.5 L_\odot at z=2.0-4.0, and to ∼10¹¹ L_\odot at z=4.0-6.0. With the unprecedented sensitivity and resolution of JWST, here we better constrain the faint-end slope and its evolution of the mid-IR LFs, quantifying the dusty cosmic star formation and black hole accretion histories out to z ∼ 5. These results provide essential insights to refine our understanding of the obscured star formation and galaxy-AGN co-evolution over cosmic time.

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Related

• Exploring the faintest end of mid-infrared luminosity functions up to z≃ 5 with the JWST CEERS survey
• Cosmic star-formation history and black hole accretion history inferred from the JWST mid-infrared source counts
• Insights into Galaxy Evolution from Mid-infrared Wavelengths
• Evolution of the infrared luminosity function and its corresponding dust-obscured star formation rate density out to z~6
• CEERS Key Paper VII: JWST/MIRI Reveals a Faint Population of Galaxies at Cosmic Noon Unseen by Spitzer