Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Jan 1995
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1995aj....109..121w&link_type=abstract
The Astronomical Journal (ISSN 0004-6256), vol. 109, no. 1669, p. 121-133
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
7
Brightness Discrimination, Faint Objects, Globular Clusters, Luminosity, Astronomical Photometry, Brightness Distribution, Elliptical Galaxies, Statistical Analysis
Scientific paper
We describe a brightness fluctuation technique to determine the total population of globular clusters around distant galaxies. The method relies on measuring luminosity fluctuations produced by faint unresolved globular clusters in the host galaxy, the amplitude of which depends on both the specific frequency and the luminosity function of the globular cluster system itself. This technique bypasses the need to obtain counts of globular clusters directly which must then be extrapolated past the limiting magnitude to obtain a total cluster population. Brightness fluctuations sample the integrated globular cluster counts up to approximately 3 mag faintward of the photometric limit and thus provide an improved estimate of total cluster populations over direct counting techniques. This would be especially useful for very distant galaxies where only marginal detections of globular clusters have so far been made and the resulting luminosity function is not well defined even at the bright end. Potentially, this method can provide globular cluster total populations in giant elliptical galaxies out to approximately less than 100 Mpc. The primary drawback of this approach is that it requires a priori knowledge about the shape and turnover magnitude MV0 of the globular cluster luminosity function which, however, is well known empirically. In this paper we explain how to measure globular cluster brightness fluctuations, discuss the limitations of this technique, and demonstrate its feasibility using CCD images of M87 as an example.
Hanes David A.
Harris Gretchen L. H.
Harris William E.
Wing David L.
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