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The Planetary Nebula Luminosity Function and its Issues

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 October 2016

Robin Ciardullo
Robin Ciardullo*
Affiliation:
Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics, Penn State University 525 Davey Lab, University Park, PA email: rbc@astro.psu.edu
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Abstract

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The bright-end cutoff of the [O III] λ5007 planetary nebula luminosity function (PNLF) is insensitive to population age and metallicity, making it an excellent extragalactic standard candle. We review our knowledge of the function and discuss the challenges related to modeling it. We show that, while there has been a great deal of progress in understanding the nuances of its shape, there is still no solid theory which explains the luminosity of the PNLF cutoff in old stellar populations. This is an extremely serious problem, as it affects a myriad of astrophysical issues, from the determination of the stellar masses of galaxies to our understanding of alternative channels of stellar evolution.

Keywords

planetary nebulae: generalgalaxies: distances and redshiftsstars: AGB and post-AGB
Type
Contributed Papers
Information
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 11 , General Assembly A29B: Astronomy in Focus , August 2015 , pp. 15 - 19
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2016 

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