Mid-Infrared Colors Vary with Galactic Environment: Contrasting Star-Forming Disks, Young Centers, and Quiescent Star-Formation Deserts

Abstract

We present $50-100$pc-resolution JWST/MIRI and NIRCam measurements of mid-infrared (mid-IR) color variations in the diffuse interstellar medium (ISM) of 71 nearby star-forming galaxies from the PHANGS-JWST survey. Mid-IR emission traces the dust column density, intensity ($U$) and hardness of the interstellar radiation field, and the physical state (charge, size) and abundance of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Mid-IR colors that trace PAH band-ratios remain fairly constant in the diffuse ISM of star-forming disks. However, they show stark variations in extreme environments: highly star-forming central molecular zones (CMZs) and star-formation deserts/quiescent bulges. In CMZs, PAH-to-continuum ($3.3/21$, $7.7/21$, and $11.3/21\hat{I}¼$m) and the $10/21\hat{I}¼$m continuum colors are $0.2-0.4$ dex lower than in normal disks. We attribute this to higher $U$ based on the far-IR dust colors and the high $21\hat{I}¼\mathrm{m}/\hat{I}{\pounds }_{\mathrm{Mol}}$, which we suggest to be a good tracer of $U$ outside star-forming regions. Meanwhile, star-formation deserts show low $7.7\hat{I}¼$m PAH emission, resulting in low $7.7/21\hat{I}¼$m and $7.7/11.3\hat{I}¼$m, while all other mid-IR colors remain typical. This suggests the presence of more neutral PAHs in star-formation deserts, where low $7.7\hat{I}¼$m likely reflects ISM conditions similar to early-type and elliptical galaxies. All environments form part of a continuous trend in $7.7/11.3\hat{I}¼$m vs.\ specific star-formation rate.

24 pages, 16 figures, 3 tables; accepted for publication in ApJ