Calibration of Post-AGB Supergiants as Standard Extragalactic Candles for HST

Details Calibration of Post-AGB Supergiants as Standard Extragalactic Candles for HST Calibration of Post-AGB Supergiants as Standard Extragalactic Candles for HST

Jan 1998

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1998stin...9942138b&link_type=abstract

Technical Report, Space Telescope Science Inst. Baltimore, MD United States

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

Astrophysics, Asymptotic Giant Branch Stars, Stellar Evolution, A Stars, F Stars, White Dwarf Stars, Main Sequence Stars, Supergiant Stars, Distance, Globular Clusters, Luminosity, Magnitude, Milky Way Galaxy, Photometry, Ultraviolet Spectra, Visible Spectrum

Scientific paper

This report summarizes activities carried out with support from the NASA Ultraviolet, Visible, and Gravitational Astrophysics Research and Analysis Program. The aim of the program is to calibrate the absolute magnitudes of post-asymptotic-giant-branch (post-AGB or PAGB) stars, which we believe will be an excellent new "standard candle" for measuring extragalactic distances. The reason for this belief is that in old populations, the stars that are evolving through the PAGB region of the HR (Hertzsprung-Russell) diagram arise from only a single main-sequence turnoff mass. In addition, the theoretical PAGB evolutionary tracks show that they evolve through this region at constant luminosity; hence the PAGB stars should have an extremely narrow luminosity function. Moreover, as the PAGB stars evolve through spectral types F and A (en route from the AGB to hot stellar remnants and white dwarfs), they have the highest luminosities attained by old stars (both bolometrically and in the visual band). Finally, the PAGB stars of these spectral types are very easily identified, due to their large Balmer jumps, which are due to their very low surface gravities.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

Calibration of Post-AGB Supergiants as Standard Extragalactic Candles for HST 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 Calibration of Post-AGB Supergiants as Standard Extragalactic Candles for HST, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Calibration of Post-AGB Supergiants as Standard Extragalactic Candles for HST will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1615632