Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
Apr 1989
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1989apj...339...39j&link_type=abstract
Astrophysical Journal, Part 1 (ISSN 0004-637X), vol. 339, April 1, 1989, p. 39-52.
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
163
Astronomical Models, Evolution (Development), Galaxies, Luminosity, Planetary Nebulae, Electron Energy, Emission Spectra, H Beta Line, Mass Distribution, Standards, Stellar Mass, Time Dependence
Scientific paper
Models of PNs are used here to simulate observations of an ensemble of PNs in order to study luminosity distributions in the emission lines of H-beta and forbidden O III 5007 A. The resulting luminosity distributions agree very well with the observational data, thus supporting the use of the constancy of the shape of the forbidden O III luminosity distribution to derive distances to galaxies. The sharp bright-end cutoff seen in the data can be reproduced in the models only if the mass distribution of central stars is narrow and a substantial fraction of bright PN central stars are burning helium. It is concluded that either there are very few high-mass central stars or the true evolutionary track differs from those published. The sharp cutoff further suggests that the brightest PNs in a galaxy may be used with some confidence as a standard candle.
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