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Title: | Measuring Infrared Surface Brightness Fluctuation Distances with HST WFC3: Calibration and Advice | Authors: | Jensen, Joseph B. Blakeslee, John P. Gibson, Zachary Lee, Hyun-chul CANTIELLO, Michele RAIMONDO, Gabriella Boyer, Nathan Cho, Hyejeon |
Issue Date: | 2015 | Journal: | THE ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL | Number: | 808 | Issue: | 1 | First Page: | 91 | Abstract: | We present new calibrations of the near-infrared (near-IR) surface brightness fluctuation (SBF) distance method for the F110W ({J}<SUB>110</SUB>) and F160W ({H}<SUB>160</SUB>) bandpasses of the Wide Field Camera 3 Infrared Channel (WFC3/IR) on the Hubble Space Telescope. The calibrations are based on data for 16 early-type galaxies in the Virgo and Fornax clusters observed with WFC3/IR and are provided as functions of both the optical colors. The scatter about the linear calibration relations for the luminous red galaxies in the sample is approximately 0.10 mag, corresponding to a statistical error of 5% in distance. Our results imply that the distance to any suitably bright elliptical galaxy can be measured with this precision out to about 80 Mpc in a single-orbit observation with WFC3/IR, making this a remarkably powerful instrument for extragalactic distances. The calibration sample also includes much bluer and lower-luminosity galaxies than previously used for IR SBF studies, revealing interesting population differences that cause the calibration scatter to increase for dwarf galaxies. Comparisons with single-burst population models show that as expected, the redder early-type galaxies contain old, metal-rich populations, while the bluer dwarf ellipticals contain a wider range of ages and lower metallicities than their more massive counterparts. Radial SBF gradients reveal that IR color gradients are largely an age effect; the bluer dwarfs typically have their youngest populations near their centers, while the redder giant ellipticals show only weak trends and in the opposite sense. Because of the population variations among bluer galaxies, distance measurements in the near-IR are best limited to red early-type galaxies. We conclude with some practical guidelines for using WFC3/IR to measure reliable SBF distances. Based on observations with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-26555. These observations are associated with Programs #11712, #11570, and #11691. | Acknowledgments: | Based on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope , obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-26555. These observations are associated with program #11712. Additional data from program #11570 were obtained from the Data Archive. J. Jensen, Z. Gibson, and N. Boyer acknowledge the support of the Utah Valley University Scholarly Activities Committee. Z. Gibson was also supported by the Utah NASA Space Grant Consortium award NNX10AJ77H. M. Cantiello is grateful for support from the FSE-Abruzzo “Sapere e Crescita” project and the PRIN-INAF-2014 grant (P.I. Gisella Clementini). H.C. acknowledges support from the National Research Foundation of Korea to the Center for Galaxy Evolution Research. This research has made use of the NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database (NED) which is operated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. | URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12386/23903 | URL: | https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0004-637X/808/1/91 | ISSN: | 0004-637X | DOI: | 10.1088/0004-637X/808/1/91 | Bibcode ADS: | 2015ApJ...808...91J | Fulltext: | open |
Appears in Collections: | 1.01 Articoli in rivista |
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Jensen_2015_ApJ_808_91.pdf | PDF editoriale | 1.17 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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