Exploring PN Production as a Probe of Elliptical Galaxy Stellar Populations

Physics

Scientific paper

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Hst Proposal Id #6731 Galaxies &Amp, Clusters

Scientific paper

In addition to being an excellent distance indicator, the O III Lambda 5007 planetary nebula luminosity function {PNLF} is potentially a powerful probe of stellar population. Values for the production rate of bright PN vary by almost an order of magnitude between different galaxies: galaxies with bright absolute magnitudes, strong Mg_2 indices, and large UV upturns are systematically deficient in bright planetary nebulae. This behavior has been cited as support for models of non- traditional post-asymptotic branch evolution { i.e., the post- early-AGB, and AGB-manque scenarios} in metal-rich systems, and it gives us a tool with which to examine the population of nearby elliptical galaxies. There is, however, one problem in associating the planetary nebula production rate with UV flux or Mg_2 index. Because of crowding and signal-to-noise considerations, groundbased measurements of the PNLF are confined to the outer parts of galaxies, whereas absorption line spectroscopy and UV photometry are restricted to the bright inner regions. We propose to use the Planetary Camera of the Hubble Space Telescope to measure the O III planetary nebula luminosity function in the centers of two nearby ellipticals. These data will quantitatively calibrate the correlations between PN production, UV flux, and the spectroscopic indices of Mg, Fe, and H Beta, allowing PN to be used as a tool for population studies.

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