Year: 2004
Type: article
Abstract: We have used the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 on board the Hubble Space Telescope to obtain V and I images of seven nearby galaxies. For each, we have measured a distance using the tip of the red giant branch (TRGB) method. By comparing the TRGB distances with published Cepheid distances, we investigate the metallicity dependence of the Cepheid period-luminosity relation. Our sample is supplemented by 10 additional galaxies for which both TRGB and Cepheid distances are available in the literature, thus providing a uniform coverage in Cepheid abundances between 1/20 and 2 (O/H) ☉ . We find that the difference between Cepheid and TRGB distances decreases monotonically with increasing Cepheid abundance, consistent with a mean metallicity dependence of the Cepheid distance moduli of δ( m - M )/δ[O/H] = -0.24 ± 0.05 mag dex -1 .
Source: The Astrophysical Journal
DOI: 10.1086/386540
Authors: Shoko Sakai, Laura Ferrarese, Robert C. Kennicutt, Jr., Abhijit Saha
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W2017799104