We present multiwavelength time-series spectroscopy of SN 2013aa and SN 2017cbv, two Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) on the outskirts of the same host galaxy, NGC 5643. This work utilizes new nebular-phase near-infrared (NIR) spectra obtained by the Carnegie Supernova Project-II, in addition to previously published optical and NIR spectra. Using nebular-phase [Fe ii] lines in the optical and NIR, we examine the explosion kinematics and test the efficacy of several common emission-line-fitting techniques. The NIR [Fe ii] 1.644 mu m line provides the most robust velocity measurements against variations due to the choice of the fit method and line blending. The resulting effects on velocity measurements due to choosing different fit methods, initial fit parameters, continuum and line profile functions, and fit region boundaries were also investigated. The NIR [Fe ii] velocities yield the same radial shift direction as velocities measured using the optical [Fe ii] lambda 7155 line, but the sizes of the shifts are consistently and substantially lower, pointing to a potential issue in optical studies. The NIR [Fe ii] 1.644 mu m emission profile shows a lack of significant asymmetry in both SNe, and the observed low velocities elevate the importance for correcting for any velocity contribution from the host galaxy's rotation. The low [Fe ii] velocities measured in the NIR at nebular phases disfavor progenitor scenarios in close double-degenerate systems for both SN 2013aa and SN 2017cbv. The time evolution of the NIR [Fe ii] 1.644 mu m line also indicates moderately high progenitor white dwarf central density and potentially high magnetic fields.

The earliest stages of star formation, when young stars are still deeply embedded in their natal clouds, represent a critical phase in the matter cycle between gas clouds and young stellar regions. Until now, the high-resolution infrared observations required for characterizing this heavily obscured phase (during which massive stars have formed, but optical emission is not detected) could only be obtained for a handful of the most nearby galaxies. One of the main hurdles has been the limited angular resolution of the Spitzer Space Telescope. With the revolutionary capabilities of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), it is now possible to investigate the matter cycle during the earliest phases of star formation as a function of the galactic environment. In this Letter, we demonstrate this by measuring the duration of the embedded phase of star formation and the implied time over which molecular clouds remain inert in the galaxy NGC 628 at a distance of 9.8 Mpc, demonstrating that the cosmic volume where this measurement can be made has increased by a factor of > 100 compared to Spitzer. We show that young massive stars remain embedded for 5.1(-1.4)(+2.7) Myr (2.3(-1.4)(+2.7) Myr of which being heavily obscured), representing similar to 20% of the total cloud lifetime. These values are in broad agreement with previous measurements in five nearby (D < 3.5 Mpc) galaxies and constitute a proof of concept for the systematic characterization of the early phase of star formation across the nearby galaxy population with the PHANGS-JWST survey.

The earliest stages of star formation occur enshrouded in dust and are not observable in the optical. Here we leverage the extraordinary new high-resolution infrared imaging from JWST to begin the study of dust-embedded star clusters in nearby galaxies throughout the Local Volume. We present a technique for identifying dust-embedded clusters in NGC 7496 (18.7 Mpc), the first galaxy to be observed by the PHANGS-JWST Cycle 1 Treasury Survey. We select sources that have strong 3.3 mu m PAH emission based on a F300M - F335M color excess and identify 67 candidate embedded clusters. Only eight of these are found in the PHANGS-HST optically selected cluster catalog, and all are young (six have SED fit ages of similar to 1 Myr). We find that this sample of embedded cluster candidates may significantly increase the census of young clusters in NGC 7496 from the PHANGS-HST catalog; the number of clusters younger than similar to 2 Myr could be increased by a factor of 2. Candidates are preferentially located in dust lanes and are coincident with the peaks in the PHANGS-ALMA CO (2-1) maps. We take a first look at concentration indices, luminosity functions, SEDs spanning from 2700 angstrom to 21 mu m, and stellar masses (estimated to be between similar to 10(4) and 10(5) M (circle dot)). The methods tested here provide a basis for future work to derive accurate constraints on the physical properties of embedded clusters, characterize the completeness of cluster samples, and expand analysis to all 19 galaxies in the PHANGS-JWST sample, which will enable basic unsolved problems in star formation and cluster evolution to be addressed.

PHANGS-JWST mid-infrared (MIR) imaging of nearby spiral galaxies has revealed ubiquitous filaments of dust emission in intricate detail. We present a pilot study to systematically map the dust filament network (DFN) at multiple scales between 25 and 400 pc in NGC 628. MIRI images at 7.7, 10, 11.3, and 21 mu m of NGC 628 are used to generate maps of the filaments in emission, while PHANGS-HST B-band imaging yields maps of dust attenuation features. We quantify the correspondence between filaments traced by MIR thermal continuum/polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emission and filaments detected via extinction/scattering of visible light; the fraction of MIR flux contained in the DFN; and the fraction of H ii regions, young star clusters, and associations within the DFN. We examine the dependence of these quantities on the physical scale at which the DFN is extracted. With our highest-resolution DFN maps (25 pc filament width), we find that filaments in emission and attenuation are cospatial in 40% of sight lines, often exhibiting detailed morphological agreement; that similar to 30% of the MIR flux is associated with the DFN; and that 75%-80% of the star formation in H ii regions and 60% of the mass in star clusters younger than 5 Myr are contained within the DFN. However, the DFN at this scale is anticorrelated with looser associations of stars younger than 5 Myr identified using PHANGS-HST near-UV imaging. We discuss the impact of these findings on studies of star formation and the interstellar medium, and the broad range of new investigations enabled by multiscale maps of the DFN.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) play a critical role in the reprocessing of stellar radiation and balancing the heating and cooling processes in the interstellar medium but appear to be destroyed in H ii regions. However, the mechanisms driving their destruction are still not completely understood. Using PHANGS-JWST and PHANGS-MUSE observations, we investigate how the PAH fraction changes in about 1500 H ii regions across four nearby star-forming galaxies (NGC 628, NGC 1365, NGC 7496, and IC 5332). We find a strong anticorrelation between the PAH fraction and the ionization parameter (the ratio between the ionizing photon flux and the hydrogen density) of H ii regions. This relation becomes steeper for more luminous H ii regions. The metallicity of H ii regions has only a minor impact on these results in our galaxy sample. We find that the PAH fraction decreases with the H alpha equivalent width-a proxy for the age of the H ii regions-although this trend is much weaker than the one identified using the ionization parameter. Our results are consistent with a scenario where hydrogen-ionizing UV radiation is the dominant source of PAH destruction in star-forming regions.

The PHANGS collaboration has been building a reference data set for the multiscale, multiphase study of star formation and the interstellar medium (ISM) in nearby galaxies. With the successful launch and commissioning of JWST, we can now obtain high-resolution infrared imaging to probe the youngest stellar populations and dust emission on the scales of star clusters and molecular clouds (similar to 5-50 pc). In Cycle 1, PHANGS is conducting an eight-band imaging survey from 2 to 21 mu m of 19 nearby spiral galaxies. Optical integral field spectroscopy, CO(2-1) mapping, and UV-optical imaging for all 19 galaxies have been obtained through large programs with ALMA, VLT-MUSE, and Hubble. PHANGS-JWST enables a full inventory of star formation, accurate measurement of the mass and age of star clusters, identification of the youngest embedded stellar populations, and characterization of the physical state of small dust grains. When combined with Hubble catalogs of similar to 10,000 star clusters, MUSE spectroscopic mapping of similar to 20,000 H ii regions, and similar to 12,000 ALMA-identified molecular clouds, it becomes possible to measure the timescales and efficiencies of the earliest phases of star formation and feedback, build an empirical model of the dependence of small dust grain properties on local ISM conditions, and test our understanding of how dust-reprocessed starlight traces star formation activity, all across a diversity of galactic environments. Here we describe the PHANGS-JWST Treasury survey, present the remarkable imaging obtained in the first few months of science operations, and provide context for the initial results presented in the first series of PHANGS-JWST publications.

Laboratory studies indicate that, in response to environmental conditions, plants modulate respiratory electron partitioning between the energy-wasteful' alternative pathway (AP) and the energy-conserving' cytochrome pathway (CP). Field data, however, are scarce. Here we investigate how 20-yr field manipulations simulating global change affected electron partitioning in Alaskan Arctic tundra species. We sampled leaves from three dominant tundra species Betula nana, Eriophorum vaginatum and Rubus chamaemorus that had been strongly affected by manipulations of soil nutrients, light availability, and warming. We measured foliar dark respiration, in-vivo electron partitioning and alternative oxidase/cytochrome c oxidase concentrations in addition to leaf traits and mitochondrial ultrastructure. Changes in leaf traits and ultrastructure were similar across species. Respiration at 20 degrees C (R20) was reduced 15% in all three species grown at elevated temperature, suggesting thermal acclimation of respiration. In Betula, the species with the largest growth response to added nutrients, CP activity increased from 9.4 +/- 0.8 to 16.6 +/- 1.6nmol O2g1 DM s1 whereas AP activity was unchanged. The ability of Betula to selectively increase CP activity in response to the environment may contribute to its overall ecological success by increasing respiratory energy efficiency, and thus retaining more carbon for growth.

Direct and indirect effects of warming are increasingly modifying the carbon-rich vegetation and soils of the Arctic tundra, with important implications for the terrestrial carbon cycle. Understanding the biological and environmental influences on the processes that regulate foliar carbon cycling in tundra species is essential for predicting the future terrestrial carbon balance in this region. To determine the effect of climate change impacts on gas exchange in tundra, we quantified foliar photosynthesis (Anet), respiration in the dark and light (RD and RL, determined using the Kok method), photorespiration (PR), carbon gain efficiency (CGE, the ratio of photosynthetic CO2 uptake to total CO2 exchange of photosynthesis, PR, and respiration), and leaf traits of three dominant species Betula nana, a woody shrub; Eriophorum vaginatum, a graminoid; and Rubus chamaemorus, a forb grown under long-term warming and fertilization treatments since 1989 at Toolik Lake, Alaska. Under warming, B. nana exhibited the highest rates of Anet and strongest light inhibition of respiration, increasing CGE nearly 50% compared with leaves grown in ambient conditions, which corresponded to a 52% increase in relative abundance. Gas exchange did not shift under fertilization in B. nana despite increases in leaf N and P and near-complete dominance at the community scale, suggesting a morphological rather than physiological response. Rubus chamaemorus, exhibited minimal shifts in foliar gas exchange, and responded similarly to B. nana under treatment conditions. By contrast, E. vaginatum, did not significantly alter its gas exchange physiology under treatments and exhibited dramatic decreases in relative cover (warming: 19.7%; fertilization: 79.7%; warming with fertilization: 91.1%). Our findings suggest a foliar physiological advantage in the woody shrub B. nana that is further mediated by warming and increased soil nutrient availability, which may facilitate shrub expansion and in turn alter the terrestrial carbon cycle in future tundra environments.

Laboratory studies indicate that plant respiratory efficiency may decrease in response to low nutrient availability due to increased partitioning of electrons to the energy-wasteful alternative oxidase (AOX); however, field confirmation of this hypothesis is lacking. We therefore investigated plant respiratory changes associated with succession and retrogression in soils aged from 10 to 120000 years along the Franz Josef soil chronosequence, New Zealand. Respiration rates and electron partitioning were determined based on oxygen isotopic fractionation. Leaf structural traits, foliar nutrient status, carbohydrates and species composition were measured as explanatory variables. Although soil nutrient levels and species composition varied by site along the chronosequence, foliar respiration across all sites and species corresponded strongly with leaf nitrogen concentration (r2=0.8). In contrast, electron partitioning declined with increasing nitrogen/phosphorus (r2=0.23) and AOX activity correlated with phosphorus (r2=0.64). Independently, total respiration was further associated with foliar Cu, possibly linked to its effect on AOX. Independent control of AOX and cytochrome pathway activities is also discussed. These responses of plant terminal respiratory oxidases and therefore respiratory carbon efficiency to multiple nutrient deficiencies demonstrate that modulation of respiratory metabolism may play an important role in plant responses to nutrient gradients.

Previous studies have suggested that solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) is correlated with Gross Primary Production (GPP). However, it remains unclear to what extent this relationship is due to absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (APAR) and/or light use efficiency (LUE). Here we present the first time series of near-surface measurement of canopy-scale SIF at 760nm in temperate deciduous forests. SIF correlated with GPP estimated with eddy covariance at diurnal and seasonal scales (r(2)=0.82 and 0.73, respectively), as well as with APAR diurnally and seasonally (r(2)=0.90 and 0.80, respectively). SIF/APAR is significantly positively correlated with LUE and is higher during cloudy days than sunny days. Weekly tower-based SIF agreed with SIF from the Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment-2 (r(2)=0.82). Our results provide ground-based evidence that SIF is directly related to both APAR and LUE and thus GPP, and confirm that satellite SIF can be used as a proxy for GPP.