CEPHEID PERIOD-LUMINOSITY RELATIONS IN THE NEAR-INFRARED AND THE DISTANCE TO M31 FROM THE HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE WIDE FIELD CAMERA 3
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States)
- LERMA, CNRS UMR 8112, Observatoire de Paris, 61 Avenue de l'Observatoire, F-75014 Paris (France)
We present measurements of 68 classical Cepheids, most detected from the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope POMME Survey, with periods from 10 to 78 days observed in the near-infrared by the Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Treasury Program using the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The combination of HST's resolution and the use of near-infrared measurements provide a dramatic reduction in the dispersion of the period-luminosity relation over the present optical, ground-based data. Even using random phase magnitudes we measure a dispersion of just 0.17 mag, implying a dispersion of just 0.12 mag for mean magnitudes. The error in the mean for this relation is 1% in distance. Combined with similar observations of Cepheids in other hosts and independent distance determinations, we measure a distance to M31 of {mu}{sub 0} = 24.38 {+-} 0.06(statistical) {+-} 0.03(systematic), 752 {+-} 27 kpc, in good agreement with past measurements though with a better, 3% precision here. The result is also in good agreement with independent distance determinations from two detached eclipsing binaries allowing for an independent calibration of the Cepheid luminosities and a determination of the Hubble constant.
- OSTI ID:
- 22011887
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 745, Issue 2; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0004-637X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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