Optical Surface Brightness Fluctuations of Shell Galaxies toward 100 Mpc
Abstract
We measure F814W surface brightness fluctuations (SBFs) for a sample of distant shell galaxies with radial velocities ranging from 4000 to 8000 km s-1. The distance at galaxies is then evaluated by using the SBF method. For this purpose, theoretical SBF magnitudes for the HST ACS filters are computed for single-burst stellar populations covering a wide range of ages (t = 1.5-14 Gyr) and metallicities (Z = 0.008-0.04). Using these stellar population models, we provide the first bar MF814W versus (F 475W - F 814W)0 calibration and we extend the previous M1 versus (B - I)0 color relation to colors (B - I)0 <= 2.0 mag. Coupling our SBF measurements with the theoretical calibration we derive distances with a statistical uncertainty of ~8%, and systematic error of ~6%. The procedure developed to analyze data ensures that the indetermination due to possible unmasked residual shells is well below ~12%. The results suggest that optical SBFs can be measured at d >= 100 Mpc with HST ACS imaging. SBF-based distances coupled with recession velocities corrected for peculiar motion, allow us obtain H0 = 76 +/- 6 (statistical) ±5 (systematic) km s-1 Mpc-1.
- Publication:
-
The Astrophysical Journal
- Pub Date:
- May 2008
- DOI:
- 10.1086/587126
- arXiv:
- arXiv:0802.2509
- Bibcode:
- 2008ApJ...678..168B
- Keywords:
-
- galaxies: distances and redshifts;
- galaxies: elliptical and lenticular;
- cD;
- galaxies: photometry;
- Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- 29 pages, 7 figures, 5 tables. Accepted for Publication in ApJ