JWST MIRI/MRS in-flight absolute flux calibration and tailored fringe correction for unresolved sources

Abstract: The MRS is one of the four observing modes of JWST/MIRI. Using JWST in-flight data of unresolved (point) sources, we can derive the MRS absolute spectral response function (ASRF) starting from raw data. Spectral fringing plays a critical role in the derivation and interpretation of the MRS ASRF. In this paper, we present an alternative way to calibrate the data. Firstly, we aim to derive a fringe correction that accounts for the dependence of the fringe properties on the MIRI pupil illumination and detector pixel sampling of the point spread function. Secondly, we aim to derive the MRS ASRF using an absolute flux calibrator observed across the full 5 to 28 $\mu$m wavelength range of the MRS. Thirdly, we aim to apply the new ASRF to the spectrum of a G dwarf and compare with the output of the JWST/MIRI default data reduction pipeline. Finally, we examine the impact of the different fringe corrections on the detectability of molecular features in the G dwarf and K giant. The absolute flux calibrator HD 163466 (A-star) is used to derive tailored point source fringe flats at each of the default dither locations of the MRS. The fringe-corrected point source integrated spectrum of HD 163466 is used to derive the MRS ASRF using a theoretical model for the stellar continuum. A cross-correlation is run to quantify the uncertainty on the detection of CO, SiO, and OH in the K giant and CO in the G dwarf for different fringe corrections. The point-source-tailored fringe correction and ASRF are found to perform at the same level as the current corrections, beating down the fringe contrast to the sub-percent level, whilst mitigating the alteration of real molecular features. The same tailored solutions can be applied to other MRS unresolved targets. A pointing repeatability issue in the MRS limits the effectiveness of the tailored fringe flats is at short wavelengths.