Planetary Nebulae as Probes of Stellar Populations

Ciardullo, Robin

doi:10.1017/s1743921306003164

Cited by 8 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…The only disadvantage of this method is our own inability to understand how the bright end of the PNLF can be so bright in stellar populations like those of elliptical galaxies, where there is no clear evidence of recent star formation. Theoretical attempts to model the PNLF of an old stellar population, corresponding to what we expect to find in elliptical galaxies, assuming single-star post-AGB evolution, have not been successful (Marigo et al 2004;Ciardullo 2006). A possible explanation could involve massive central stars in old populations produced through binary evolution (e.g., Ciardullo et al 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 85%

Toward Better Simulations of Planetary Nebulae Luminosity Functions

Méndez

Teodorescu

Schönberner

et al. 2008

ApJ

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We describe a procedure for the numerical simulation of the planetary nebulae luminosity function ( PNLF), improving on previous work. Earlier PNLF simulations were based on an imitation of the observed distribution of the intensities of [O iii] k5007 relative to H , generated predominantly using random numbers. We are now able to replace this by a distribution derived from the predictions of hydrodynamical PN models (Schönberner et al. 2007), which are made to evolve as the central star moves across the HR diagram, using proper initial and boundary conditions. In this way we move one step closer to a physically consistent procedure for the generation of a PNLF. As an example of these new simulations, we have been able to reproduce the observed PNLF in the Small Magellanic Cloud.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 85%

Toward Better Simulations of Planetary Nebulae Luminosity Functions

Méndez

Teodorescu

Schönberner

et al. 2008

ApJ

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“…Theoretical attempts to model the PNLF of an old stellar population, corresponding to what we expect to find in elliptical galaxies, assuming single-star post-AGB evolution, have not been successful (Marigo et al 2004;Ciardullo 2006). A possible explanation could involve massive central stars in old populations produced through binary evolution (i.e., Ciardullo et al 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 86%

A two-mode planetary nebula luminosity function

Rodríguez-González

Hernández-Martínez

Esquivel

et al. 2015

A&A

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Context. We propose a new planetary nebula luminosity function (PNLF) that includes two populations in the distribution. Our PNLF is a direct extension of the canonical function proposed by Jacoby et al. (1987), in order to avoid problems related with the histogram construction, it is cast in terms of cumulative functions. Aims. We are interested in recovering the shape of the faint part of the PNLF in a consistent manner, for galaxies with and without a dip in their PNLFs. Methods. The parameters for the two-mode PNLF are obtained with a genetic algorithm, which obtains a best fit to the PNLF varying all of the parameters simultaneously in a broad parameter space. Results. We explore a sample of nine galaxies with various Hubble types and construct their PNLF. All of the irregular galaxies, except one, are found to be consistent with a two-mode population, while the situation is less clear for ellipticals and spirals.For the case of NGC 6822, we show that the two-mode PNLF is consistent with previous studies of the star formation history within that galaxy. Our results support two episodes of star formation, in which the second episode is significantly stronger.

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“…Planetary Nebulae (PNe) in external galaxies are mostly regarded either as tracers of the gravitational potential (e.g., can also be used as probes of their parent stellar population (e.g., Richer, Stasińka, & McCall 1999;Jacoby & Ciardullo 1999;Dopita et al 1997) and understanding in particular the origin of the PNLF is a puzzle that, once solved, promises to reveal new clues on the late stages of stellar evolution and on the formation of PNe themselves (see, e.g., Ciardullo 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The planetary nebulae population in the nuclear regions of M31: the SAURON view

Pastorello¹,

Sarzi²,

Cappellari³

et al. 2013

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

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The study of extragalactic Planetary Nebulae (PNe) in the optical regions of galaxies, where the properties of their stellar population can be best characterised, is a promising ground to better understand the late evolution of stars across different galactic environments. Following a first study of the central regions of M32 that illustrated the power of integral-field spectroscopy (IFS) in detecting and measuring the [O III]λ5007 emission of PNe against a strong stellar background, we turn to the very nuclear PN population of M31, within ∼80 pc of its centre. We show that PNe can also be found in the presence of emission from diffuse gas, as commonly observed in early-type galaxies and in the bulge of spirals, and further illustrate the excellent sensitivity of IFS in detecting extragalactic PNe through a comparison with narrowband images obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope. Contrary to the case of the central regions of M32, the nuclear PNe population of M31 is only marginally consistent with the generally adopted form of the PNe luminosity function (PNLF). In particular, this is due to a lack of PNe with absolute magnitude M 5007 brighter than −3, which would only result from a rather unfortunate draw from such a model PNLF. The nuclear stellar population of M31 is quite different from that of the central regions of M32, which is characterised in particular by a larger metallicity and a remarkable UV-upturn. We suggest that the observed lack of bright PNe in the nuclear regions of M31 is due to a horizontal-branch population that is more tilted toward less massive and hotter He-burning stars, so that its progeny consists mostly of UV-bright stars that fail to climb back up the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) and only of few, if any, bright PNe powered by central post-AGB stars. These results are also consistent with recent reports on a dearth of bright post-AGB stars towards the nucleus of M31, and lend further support to the idea that the metallicity of a stellar population has an impact on the way the horizontal branch is populated and to the loose anticorrelation between the strength of the UV-upturn and the specific number of PNe that is observed in early-type galaxies. Finally, our investigation also serves to stress the importance of considering the same spatial scales when comparing the PNe population of galaxies with the properties of their stellar populations.

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Planetary Nebulae as Probes of Stellar Populations

Cited by 8 publications

References 26 publications

Toward Better Simulations of Planetary Nebulae Luminosity Functions

Toward Better Simulations of Planetary Nebulae Luminosity Functions

A two-mode planetary nebula luminosity function

The planetary nebulae population in the nuclear regions of M31: the SAURON view

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