JWST Reveals Compact Nuclear Starbursts Masquerading as AGNs in Metal-Poor Dwarfs: Where Are the Accreting Intermediate-Mass Black Holes?. Matzko, W., Satyapal, S., Mckaig, J. D., Doan, S., McDonald, M., Aravindan, A., Canalizo, G., Cann, J. M., Abel, N. P., Bait, O., Blecha, L., Böker, T., Bohn, T., Fischer, J., LaMassa, S., Madden, S. C., Molina, M., Rothberg, B., Schaerer, D., Seth, A., & Sexton, R. O. June, 2026. arXiv:2606.27468 [astro-ph.GA]
Paper doi abstract bibtex We present JWST/NIRSpec spectroscopy of the low-mass, metal-poor galaxy SDSS J160135.95+311353.7 (J1601), selected for its extreme mid-infrared colors and compact nuclear emission, placing it within widely used WISE color diagnostics for active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Despite this selection, we find no evidence for coronal lines, X-ray emission, or variability typically associated with accretion activity.
@misc{matzko_jwst_2026,
title = {{JWST} {Reveals} {Compact} {Nuclear} {Starbursts} {Masquerading} as {AGNs} in {Metal}-{Poor} {Dwarfs}: {Where} {Are} the {Accreting} {Intermediate}-{Mass} {Black} {Holes}?},
shorttitle = {{JWST} {Reveals} {Compact} {Nuclear} {Starbursts} {Masquerading} as {AGNs} in {Metal}-{Poor} {Dwarfs}},
url = {http://arxiv.org/abs/2606.27468},
doi = {10.48550/arXiv.2606.27468},
abstract = {We present JWST/NIRSpec spectroscopy of the low-mass, metal-poor galaxy SDSS J160135.95+311353.7 (J1601), selected for its extreme mid-infrared colors and compact nuclear emission, placing it within widely used WISE color diagnostics for active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Despite this selection, we find no evidence for coronal lines, X-ray emission, or variability typically associated with accretion activity.},
language = {en},
urldate = {2026-07-06},
publisher = {arXiv},
author = {Matzko, William and Satyapal, Shobita and Mckaig, Jeffrey D. and Doan, Sara and McDonald, Michael and Aravindan, Archana and Canalizo, Gabriela and Cann, Jenna M. and Abel, Nicholas P. and Bait, Omkar and Blecha, Laura and Böker, Torsten and Bohn, Thomas and Fischer, Jacqueline and LaMassa, Stephanie and Madden, Suzanne C. and Molina, Mallory and Rothberg, Barry and Schaerer, D. and Seth, Anil and Sexton, Remington O.},
month = jun,
year = {2026},
note = {arXiv:2606.27468 [astro-ph.GA]},
keywords = {Astrophysics - Astrophysics of Galaxies, WG: Explorable},
}
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