Marcelo M. Miller Bertolami
The Planetary Nebulae Luminosity Function: Why does it work?
The [OIII] λ5007 Planetary Nebulae Luminosity Function (PNLF) has been a reliable and precise extragalactic distance indicator, effective up to ~20 Mpc, for over 30 years. This method has been successfully applied to both elliptical and spiral galaxies. Given its applicability to both old and young stellar populations, the PNLF is arguably one of the best tools for examining systematic differences between Population I and Population II distance measurement techniques.
Theoretically, however, the PNLF method should not work as well as it does, since the luminosities of the brightest planetary nebulae (PNe) are expected to be highly sensitive to the age of their host stellar population. Yet, the method remains remarkably robust, consistently yielding galaxy distances with ~10% precision across all Hubble types.
In this talk, I will review the PNLF, its applications, and past and ongoing efforts to improve our understanding of the physical processes that shape the luminosity function and the brightest PNe.
Event Timeslots (1)
Thursday
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The Planetary Nebulae Luminosity Function: Why does it work?
