Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2004-12-20
Astrophys.J. 623 (2005) 795-814
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
19 pages, 15 embedded color figures, uses emulateapj.cls. Submitted to ApJ. High-resolution version available at http://www.
Scientific paper
10.1086/428827
We investigate the effects of dust extinction on integrated absorption-line indices that are widely used to derive constraints on the ages and metallicities of composite stellar systems. Typically, absorption-line studies have been performed on globular clusters or elliptical galaxies, which are mostly dust-free systems. However, many recent studies of integrated stellar populations have focused on spiral galaxies which may contain significant amounts of dust. It is almost universally assumed that the effects of dust extinction on absorption-line measurements are entirely negligible given the narrow baseline of the spectral features, but no rigorous study has yet been performed to verify this conjecture. In this analysis, we explore the sensitivity of the standard set of Lick absorption-line indices, the higher-order Balmer line indices, the 4000 A break, the near-IR calcium triplet indices, and the Rose indices to dust absorption according to population synthesis models that incorporate a multi-component model for the line and continuum attenuation due to dust. The latter takes into account the finite lifetime of stellar birth clouds. While dust does not greatly affect the line-index measurements for single stellar populations, its effect can be significant for the 4000 A break or when there is a significant amount of current star formation.
No associations
LandOfFree
Dust Sensitivity of Absorption-Line Indices does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with Dust Sensitivity of Absorption-Line Indices, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Dust Sensitivity of Absorption-Line Indices will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-576465