JWST–AGN Project

The JWST–AGN Project aims to investigate how supermassive black holes grow and influence their host galaxies across cosmic time, taking full advantage of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) unprecedented combination of high sensitivity, angular resolution and spectral resolution. By analysing multiple AGN tracers and applying advanced diagnostic tools, we study AGN-driven outflows and their interaction with the host galaxy’s interstellar medium, evaluating their effects on galactic structures, kinematics, and the chemical composition of gas, dust, and molecules at different epochs.

Led by Dr. Ismael García-Bernete and Dr. Michele Perna at the Centro de Astrobiología (CAB, CSIC-INTA), this international collaboration combines JWST observations with complementary multi-wavelength data to explore the co-evolution of black holes and galaxies throughout cosmic history.

The datasets: The exploitation of JWST data represents the first and major scientific objective of our project, as it takes advantage from PIs’ strong participation in several NIRSpec and MIRI projects, with a leading role for many of them. Ismael García-Bernete has secured three JWST GO proposals as PI, utilizing NIRSpec and MRS to study a sample of local AGN (program ID: 3535, 5017, 7195), and has access to proprietary data through collaborations such as GATOS, among others. Michele Perna leads the GA-NIFS team, coordinating ~330 hours of NIRSpec IFS observations (including proprietary data), and has direct access to an additional ~600 hours of NIRSpec MSA GTO time (e.g. as part of the JADES collaboration), spanning the first observing cycles of JWST (2022–2026).

The CAB environment: The Centre for Astrobiology is organised into several research groups to study key aspects of the chain of events that must have led from the Big Bang to the origin, evolution and spread of life. The Extragalactic Group at CAB, comprising around 25 members (including staff scientists, postdoctoral researchers, fellows, and PhD students) provides a dynamic and collaborative environment with broad expertise in galaxy evolution, AGN physics, and multi-wavelength observations.