Galaxy formation and evolution

Abstract:

We provide new planetary nebula luminosity function (pnlf) distances to 19 nearby spiral galaxies that were observed with VLT/MUSE by the PHANGS collaboration. Emission line ratios are used to separate planetary nebulae (pne) from other bright [O, III] emitting sources like compact supernovae remnants (snrs) or H ii regions. While many studies have used narrowband imaging for this purpose, the detailed spectral line information provided by integral field unit (ifu) spectroscopy grants a more robust way of categorizing different [O, III] emitters. We investigate the effects of snr contamination on the pnlf and find that we would fail to classify all objects correctly, when limited to the same data narrowband imaging provides. However, the few misclassified objects usually do not fall on the bright end of the luminosity function, and only in three cases does the distance change by more than 1σ. We find generally good agreement with literature values from other methods. Using metallicity constraints that have also been derived from the same ifu data, we revisit the pnlf zero-point calibration. Over a range of 8.34 < 12 + log (O/H) < 8.59, our sample is consistent with a constant zero-point and yields a value of M∗ = -4.542+0.103-0.059, mag, within 1σ of other literature values. MUSE pushes the limits of pnlf studies and makes galaxies beyond 20 Mpc accessible for this kind of analysis. This approach to the pnlf shows great promise for leveraging existing archival ifu data on nearby galaxies.

Abstract:

This paper documents the seventeenth data release (DR17) from the Sloan Digital Sky Surveys; the fifth and final release from the fourth phase (SDSS-IV). DR17 contains the complete release of the Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory (MaNGA) survey, which reached its goal of surveying over 10,000 nearby galaxies. The complete release of the MaNGA Stellar Library accompanies this data, providing observations of almost 30,000 stars through the MaNGA instrument during bright time. DR17 also contains the complete release of the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment 2 survey that publicly releases infrared spectra of over 650,000 stars. The main sample from the Extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (eBOSS), as well as the subsurvey Time Domain Spectroscopic Survey data were fully released in DR16. New single-fiber optical spectroscopy released in DR17 is from the SPectroscipic IDentification of ERosita Survey subsurvey and the eBOSS-RM program. Along with the primary data sets, DR17 includes 25 new or updated value-added catalogs. This paper concludes the release of SDSS-IV survey data. SDSS continues into its fifth phase with observations already underway for the Milky Way Mapper, Local Volume Mapper, and Black Hole Mapper surveys.