JWST Observations of SN 2023ixf. I. Completing the Early Multiwavelength Picture with Plateau-phase Spectroscopy

DerKacy, JM, Ashall, C, Baron, E, Medler, K, Mera, T, Hoeflich, P, Shahbandeh, M, Burns, CR, Stritzinger, MD, Tucker, MA, Shappee, BJ, Auchettl, K, Angus, CR, Desai, DD, Do, A, Hinkle, JT, Hoogendam, WB, Huber, ME, Payne, AV, Jones, DO et al (2026) JWST Observations of SN 2023ixf. I. Completing the Early Multiwavelength Picture with Plateau-phase Spectroscopy. The Astrophysical Journal, 997 (2). ISSN 0004-637X

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Abstract

We present and analyze panchromatic (0.35–14 μm) spectroscopy of the Type II supernova 2023ixf, including near- and mid-infrared spectra obtained 33.6 days after explosion during the plateau phase, with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). This is the first in a series of papers examining the evolution of SN 2023ixf with JWST during the initial 1000 days after explosion and monitoring the formation and growth of molecules and dust in ejecta and the surrounding environment. The JWST infrared spectra are overwhelmingly dominated by H lines, whose profiles reveal ejecta structures, including flat tops, blue notches, and red shoulders, unseen in the optical spectra. We characterize the nature of these structures, concluding that they likely result from a combination of ejecta geometry, viewing angle, and opacity effects. We find no evidence for the formation of dust precursor molecules such as carbon monoxide (CO), nor do we observe an infrared excess attributable to dust. These observations imply that the detections of molecules and dust in SN 2023ixf at later epochs arise either from freshly synthesized material within the ejecta or circumstellar material at radii not yet heated by the supernova at this epoch.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	5109 Space Sciences; 51 Physical Sciences; 0201 Astronomical and Space Sciences; 0202 Atomic, Molecular, Nuclear, Particle and Plasma Physics; 0306 Physical Chemistry (incl. Structural); Astronomy & Astrophysics; 5101 Astronomical sciences; 5107 Particle and high energy physics; 5109 Space sciences
Subjects:	Q Science > QB Astronomy
Divisions:	Astrophysics Research Institute
Publisher:	American Astronomical Society
Date of acceptance:	16 October 2026
Date of first compliant Open Access:	5 June 2026
Date Deposited:	05 Jun 2026 08:29
Last Modified:	05 Jun 2026 08:29
DOI or ID number:	10.3847/1538-4357/ae1f87
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/28745

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