Infrared Surface Brightness Fluctuation Distances for MASSIVE and Type Ia Supernova Host Galaxies
Abstract
We measured high-quality surface brightness fluctuation (SBF) distances for a sample of 63 massive early-type galaxies using the WFC3/IR camera on the Hubble Space Telescope. The median uncertainty on the SBF distance measurements is 0.085 mag, or 3.9% in distance. Achieving this precision at distances of 50-100 Mpc required significant improvements to the SBF calibration and data analysis procedures for WFC3/IR data. Forty-two of the galaxies are from the MASSIVE Galaxy Survey, a complete sample of massive galaxies within ~100 Mpc; the SBF distances for these will be used to improve the estimates of the stellar and central supermassive black hole masses in these galaxies. Twenty-four of the galaxies are Type Ia supernova hosts, useful for calibrating SN Ia distances for early-type galaxies and exploring possible systematic trends in the peak luminosities. Our results demonstrate that the SBF method is a powerful and versatile technique for measuring distances to galaxies with evolved stellar populations out to 100 Mpc and constraining the local value of the Hubble constant. * Based on observations with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by AURA, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-26555. These observations are associated with GO Programs #11711, #11712, #12450, #14219, #14654, #14771, #14804, #15265, and #15329.
- Publication:
-
The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series
- Pub Date:
- August 2021
- DOI:
- 10.3847/1538-4365/ac01e7
- arXiv:
- arXiv:2105.08299
- Bibcode:
- 2021ApJS..255...21J
- Keywords:
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- Galaxy distances;
- Distance indicators;
- Distance measure;
- Elliptical galaxies;
- Giant elliptical galaxies;
- Lenticular galaxies;
- 590;
- 394;
- 395;
- 456;
- 651;
- 915;
- Astrophysics - Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics;
- Astrophysics - Astrophysics of Galaxies
- E-Print:
- Accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series