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The planetary nebula luminosity function

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 February 2013

Robin Ciardullo
Robin Ciardullo*
Affiliation:
Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics, The Pennsylvania State University, 525 Davey Lab, University Park, PA 16802USA email: [email protected] Institute for Gravitation and the Cosmos, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802USA
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Abstract

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Although the method has no theoretical explanation, the [Oiii]λ5007Å planetary nebula luminosity function (PNLF) is an extremely valuable tool for obtaining accurate (< 10%) extragalactic distances out to ~ 18 Mpc. Because the PNLF works in large galaxies of all Hubble types, it is one of the best tools we have for cross-checking the results of other methods and identifying systematic offsets between the Population I and Population II distance ladders. We review the PNLF's calibration and show that the method's Cepheid-derived zero point is virtually identical to that inferred from measurements of the tip of the red giant branch. We then compare the PNLF to the surface brightness fluctuations method and demonstrate that the latter's calibration yields a distance scale that is ~ 15% larger than that of the PNLF. We argue that this offset is likely due to a number of factors, including the effects of reddening on both of the techniques. We conclude by discussing the use of the PNLF for supernovae Type Ia calibration and considering the outstanding problems associated with the method.

Keywords

distance scalegalaxies: distances and redshiftsplanetary nebulae: general
Type
Contributed Papers
Information
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 8 , Symposium S289: Advancing the Physics of Cosmic Distances , August 2012 , pp. 247 - 254
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2013

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