AGNBoost: A Machine Learning Approach to AGN Identification with JWST/NIRCam+MIRI Colors and Photometry

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Main Authors: Hamblin, Kurt, Kirkpatrick, Allison, Backhaus, Bren E., Troiani, Gregory, Kartaltepe, Jeyhan S., Kocevski, Dale D., Koekemoer, Anton M., Lambrides, Erini, Papovich, Casey, Ronayne, Kaila, Yang, Guang, Bagley, Micaela B., Dickinson, Mark, Finkelstein, Steven L., Haro, Pablo Arrabal, Pacucci, Fabio, Trump, Jonathan R., Pirzkal, Nor, de la Vega, Alexander, Vidal, Edgar Perez, Yung, L. Y. Aaron
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Hamblin, Kurt
Kirkpatrick, Allison
Backhaus, Bren E.
Troiani, Gregory
Kartaltepe, Jeyhan S.
Kocevski, Dale D.
Koekemoer, Anton M.
Lambrides, Erini
Papovich, Casey
Ronayne, Kaila
Yang, Guang
Bagley, Micaela B.
Dickinson, Mark
Finkelstein, Steven L.
Haro, Pablo Arrabal
Pacucci, Fabio
Trump, Jonathan R.
Pirzkal, Nor
de la Vega, Alexander
Vidal, Edgar Perez
Yung, L. Y. Aaron
author_facet Hamblin, Kurt
Kirkpatrick, Allison
Backhaus, Bren E.
Troiani, Gregory
Kartaltepe, Jeyhan S.
Kocevski, Dale D.
Koekemoer, Anton M.
Lambrides, Erini
Papovich, Casey
Ronayne, Kaila
Yang, Guang
Bagley, Micaela B.
Dickinson, Mark
Finkelstein, Steven L.
Haro, Pablo Arrabal
Pacucci, Fabio
Trump, Jonathan R.
Pirzkal, Nor
de la Vega, Alexander
Vidal, Edgar Perez
Yung, L. Y. Aaron
contents We present AGNBoost, a machine learning framework utilizing XGBoostLSS to identify AGN and estimate redshifts from JWST NIRCam and MIRI photometry. AGNBoost constructs 66 input features from 7 NIRCam and 4 MIRI bands to predict the fraction of mid-IR $3$--$30\,μ$m emission attributable to an AGN power law ($\text{frac}_{\text{AGN}}$) and photometric redshift. Each model is trained on $10^6$ simulated galaxies from CIGALE. Models are tested on mock CIGALE galaxies, an independent set of empirically-derived templates, and 748 observations from the JWST MIRI EGS Galaxy and AGN (MEGA) survey. On idealized noise-free mock CIGALE galaxies, AGNBoost achieves $15\%$ outlier fractions of $1.63\%$ ($\text{frac}_{\text{AGN}}$) and $0.15\%$ (redshift), with $σ_{\text{RMSE}} = 0.045$ for $\text{frac}_{\text{AGN}}$ and $σ_{\text{NMAD}} = 0.004$ for redshift. When realistic photometric uncertainties are introduced, performance remains robust with median predictions on the 1:1 relation, though outlier fractions increase to $4.38\%$ and $3.35\%$, respectively. On the independent template set, AGNBoost identifies $92.6\%$ of AGN candidates with $\text{frac}_{\text{AGN}} > 0.3$ and $100\%$ with $\text{frac}_{\text{AGN}} > 0.5$, demonstrating generalization beyond the training distribution. On MEGA galaxies with spectroscopic redshifts, AGNBoost achieves $σ_{\text{NMAD}} = 0.056$ and $19.79\%$ outliers. AGNBoost $\text{frac}_{\text{AGN}}$ estimates broadly agree with CIGALE fitting ($σ_{\text{RMSE}} = 0.178$, $11.96\%$ outliers). The flexible framework allows straightforward incorporation of additional photometric bands and re-training for other variables. AGNBoost's computational efficiency makes it well-suited for wide-sky surveys requiring rapid AGN identification and redshift estimation.
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id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2506_03130
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle AGNBoost: A Machine Learning Approach to AGN Identification with JWST/NIRCam+MIRI Colors and Photometry
Hamblin, Kurt
Kirkpatrick, Allison
Backhaus, Bren E.
Troiani, Gregory
Kartaltepe, Jeyhan S.
Kocevski, Dale D.
Koekemoer, Anton M.
Lambrides, Erini
Papovich, Casey
Ronayne, Kaila
Yang, Guang
Bagley, Micaela B.
Dickinson, Mark
Finkelstein, Steven L.
Haro, Pablo Arrabal
Pacucci, Fabio
Trump, Jonathan R.
Pirzkal, Nor
de la Vega, Alexander
Vidal, Edgar Perez
Yung, L. Y. Aaron
Astrophysics of Galaxies
We present AGNBoost, a machine learning framework utilizing XGBoostLSS to identify AGN and estimate redshifts from JWST NIRCam and MIRI photometry. AGNBoost constructs 66 input features from 7 NIRCam and 4 MIRI bands to predict the fraction of mid-IR $3$--$30\,μ$m emission attributable to an AGN power law ($\text{frac}_{\text{AGN}}$) and photometric redshift. Each model is trained on $10^6$ simulated galaxies from CIGALE. Models are tested on mock CIGALE galaxies, an independent set of empirically-derived templates, and 748 observations from the JWST MIRI EGS Galaxy and AGN (MEGA) survey. On idealized noise-free mock CIGALE galaxies, AGNBoost achieves $15\%$ outlier fractions of $1.63\%$ ($\text{frac}_{\text{AGN}}$) and $0.15\%$ (redshift), with $σ_{\text{RMSE}} = 0.045$ for $\text{frac}_{\text{AGN}}$ and $σ_{\text{NMAD}} = 0.004$ for redshift. When realistic photometric uncertainties are introduced, performance remains robust with median predictions on the 1:1 relation, though outlier fractions increase to $4.38\%$ and $3.35\%$, respectively. On the independent template set, AGNBoost identifies $92.6\%$ of AGN candidates with $\text{frac}_{\text{AGN}} > 0.3$ and $100\%$ with $\text{frac}_{\text{AGN}} > 0.5$, demonstrating generalization beyond the training distribution. On MEGA galaxies with spectroscopic redshifts, AGNBoost achieves $σ_{\text{NMAD}} = 0.056$ and $19.79\%$ outliers. AGNBoost $\text{frac}_{\text{AGN}}$ estimates broadly agree with CIGALE fitting ($σ_{\text{RMSE}} = 0.178$, $11.96\%$ outliers). The flexible framework allows straightforward incorporation of additional photometric bands and re-training for other variables. AGNBoost's computational efficiency makes it well-suited for wide-sky surveys requiring rapid AGN identification and redshift estimation.
title AGNBoost: A Machine Learning Approach to AGN Identification with JWST/NIRCam+MIRI Colors and Photometry
topic Astrophysics of Galaxies
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.03130