Work

JWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey (JADES) Data Release 5: Wisp Subtraction with the Nonnegative Matrix Factorization Algorithm

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Wisps are among the most prominent scattered light artifacts in JWST/NIRCam imaging. They often appear in certain regions of the detectors and contaminate observations at surface-brightness levels relevant for faint-source photometry. We introduce a new subtraction method that uses the nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF) algorithm to model and remove wisps. Using deep NIRCam observations from the JWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey and other programs, we construct multicomponent, filter- and detector-specific wisp templates that capture the wisp structures and their exposure-to-exposure morphological variations. Wisps in individual exposures are represented as nonnegative linear combinations of these templates, consistent with their additive nature and reducing degeneracies relative to single-template scaling. Compared to existing approaches, our method delivers lower residual rms in wisp-affected regions and reduces photometric bias and scatter to levels consistent with clean detector areas. The NMF wisp templates are readily applicable to other data sets and are publicly released to support future NIRCam extragalactic surveys.

Source: The Astronomical Journal

DOI: 10.3847/1538-3881/ae8254