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arXiv · 2606.20800

No hidden monsters: Probing recently-quenched galaxies for obscured AGN with JWST-PRIMER MIRI and NIRCam

Guillaume Hewitt·Omar Almaini·David Maltby·Emma Chapman·Thomas de Lisle·Pallavi Patil·Kate Rowlands·Maya Skarbinski·Elizabeth Taylor·Vivienne Wild·Adam C. Carnall·James S. Dunlop·Norman Grogin·Anton M. Koekemoer·Derek J. McLeod·Pablo G. Pérez-González
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Abstract

We investigate the role of obscured active galactic nuclei (AGN) in recently quenched post-starburst galaxies (PSBs), using a sample of 65 photometrically selected PSBs in the PRIMER-UDS field at $1 < z < 2$. Combining JWST/MIRI 7.7 $μ$m and 18 $μ$m (F770W and F1800W) imaging with eight NIRCam and three HST/ACS bands, we probe hot dust emission to test for hidden AGN or dust-enshrouded star formation. We find strong differences between the low- and high-mass PSBs. Most high-mass PSBs ($ > 10^{10}\textrm{M}_\odot$) show no excess infrared emission (consistent with the quiescent population), indicating little or no dust-obscured activity, while low-mass PSBs display enhanced emission at 18 $μ$m, which we attribute to residual star formation. AGN template modelling indicates that the absence of mid-IR excess in massive PSBs limits any dust-enshrouded AGN to Eddington ratios of $ < 1\%$. In addition, we show that the F770W--F1800W colour alone is a highly effective diagnostic for separating passive and star-forming galaxies, particularly at high stellar masses. Overall, our results provide further evidence for distinct quenching pathways within the PSB population, and confirm that massive PSBs show no evidence for excess AGN activity relative to older passive galaxies.

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Guillaume Hewitt, Omar Almaini, David Maltby, Emma Chapman, Thomas de Lisle, Pallavi Patil, Kate Rowlands, Maya Skarbinski, Elizabeth Taylor, Vivienne Wild, Adam C. Carnall, James S. Dunlop, Norman Grogin, Anton M. Koekemoer, Derek J. McLeod, Pablo G. Pérez-González. 2026-07-02. No hidden monsters: Probing recently-quenched galaxies for obscured AGN with JWST-PRIMER MIRI and NIRCam. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras%2Fstag1180

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