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One of the most common methods for inferring galaxy attenuation curves is viaspectral energy distribution (SED) modeling, where the dust attenuationproperties are modeled simultaneously with other galaxy physical properties. Inthis paper, we assess the ability of SED modeling to infer these dustattenuation curves from broadband photometry, and suggest a new flexible modelthat greatly improves the accuracy of attenuation curve derivations. To dothis, we fit mock SEDs generated from the Simba cosmological simulation withthe Prospector SED fitting code. We consider the impact of the commonly-assumeduniform screen model and introduce a new non-uniform screen model parameterizedby the fraction of unobscured stellar light. This non-uniform screen modelallows for a non-zero fraction of stellar light to remain unattenuated,resulting in a more flexible attenuation curve shape by decoupling the shape ofthe UV attenuation curve from the optical attenuation curve. The ability toconstrain the dust attenuation curve is significantly improved with the use ofa non-uniform screen model, with the median offset in UV attenuation decreasingfrom $-0.30$ dex with a uniform screen model to $-0.17$ dex with thenon-uniform screen model. With this increase in dust attenuation modelingaccuracy, we also improve the star formation rates (SFRs) inferred with thenon-uniform screen model, decreasing the SFR offset on average by $0.12$ dex.We discuss the efficacy of this new model, focusing on caveats with modelingstar-dust geometries and the constraining power of available SED observations.

How Well Can We Measure Galaxy Dust Attenuation Curves? The Impact of the Assumed Star-Dust Geometry Model in SED Fitting