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Near-infrared surface brightness fluctuation measurements with the Hubble Space Telescope's WFC3/IR channel

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 February 2013

Hyejeon Cho ,
Joseph B. Jensen ,
John P. Blakeslee ,
Brigham S. French ,
Hyun-chul Lee  and
Young-Wook Lee
Hyejeon Cho
Affiliation:
Department of Astronomy & Center for Galaxy Evolution Research, Yonsei University, Seoul 120-749, Republic of Korea email: hyejeon@yonsei.ac.kr
Joseph B. Jensen
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Utah Valley University, Orem, UT 84058–5999, USA
John P. Blakeslee
Affiliation:
Dominion Astrophysical Observatory, Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics, National Research Council of Canada, Victoria, BC V9E 2E7, Canada
Brigham S. French
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Utah Valley University, Orem, UT 84058–5999, USA
Hyun-chul Lee
Affiliation:
Department of Physics and Geology, The University of Texas–Pan American, Edinburg, TX 78539–2999, USA
Young-Wook Lee
Affiliation:
Department of Astronomy & Center for Galaxy Evolution Research, Yonsei University, Seoul 120-749, Republic of Korea email: hyejeon@yonsei.ac.kr
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Abstract

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The surface brightness fluctuation (SBF) method at near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths is a powerful tool for estimating distances to unresolved stellar systems with high precision. The IR channel of the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3), installed on board the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) in 2009, has a greater sensitivity and a wider field of view than the previous generation of HST IR instruments, making it much more efficient for measuring distances to early-type galaxies in the Local Volume. To take full advantage of its capabilities, we need to empirically calibrate the SBF distance method for WFC3's NIR passbands. We present the SBF measurements for the WFC3/IR F160W bandpass filter using observations of 16 early-type galaxies in the Fornax and Virgo Clusters. These have been combined with existing (g475–z850) color measurements from the Advanced Camera for Surveys Virgo and Fornax Cluster Surveys to derive a space-based H160-band SBF relation as a function of color. We have also compared the absolute SBF magnitudes to those predicted by evolutionary population synthesis models in order to study stellar population properties in the target galaxies.

Keywords

galaxies: clusters: individual (Fornax, Virgo)galaxies: distances and redshiftsgalaxies: dwarfgalaxies: elliptical and lenticularcD
Type
Contributed Papers
Information
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 8 , Symposium S289: Advancing the Physics of Cosmic Distances , August 2012 , pp. 371 - 374
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2013

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