English

The Planetary Nebulae Luminosity Function (PNLF): current perspectives

Astrophysics of Galaxies 2017-11-15 v1 Solar and Stellar Astrophysics

Abstract

This paper starts with a brief historical review about the PNLF and its use as a distance indicator. Then the PNLF distances are compared with Surface Brightness Fluctuations (SBF) distances and Tip of the Red Giant Branch (TRGB) distances. A Monte Carlo method to generate simulated PNLFs is described, leading to the last subject: recent progress in reproducing the expected maximum final mass in old stellar populations, a stellar astrophysics enigma that has been challenging us for quite some time.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1610.08625,
  title  = {The Planetary Nebulae Luminosity Function (PNLF): current perspectives},
  author = {Roberto H. Mendez},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1610.08625},
  year   = {2017}
}

Comments

4 pages, 2 figures; to appear in Proceedings of IAU Symposium 323 (Planetary Nebulae: Multi-Wavelength Probes of Stellar and Galactic Evolution), eds. Xiaowei Liu, Letizia Stanghellini, & Amanda Karakas

R2 v1 2026-06-22T16:33:27.096Z