Related papers: Revised Simulations of the Planetary Nebulae Lumin…
Distance measurements using the planetary nebula luminosity function (PNLF) rely on the bright-end power-law cut-off magnitude ($M^*$), which is defined by a number of the [OIII]$\lambda5007$-brightest planetary nebulae (PNe). In early-type…
Using the conditional luminosity function -- the luminosity distribution of galaxies in a dark matter halo as a function of the halo mass -- we present an empirical model to describe the redshift evolution of the rest B-band galaxy…
[OIII]5007 on-band off-band images, obtained with the VLT and FORS2 spectrograph in two zones (center and outskirts) of the spiral galaxy NGC300, are analyzed searching for emission line objects. In particular we search for planetary nebula…
The evolution of central stars of planetary nebulae was so far documented in just a few cases. However, spectra collected a few decades ago may provide a good reference for studying the evolution of central stars using the emission line…
Many binary companions to the central stars of planetary nebulae (PNe) are found to be inflated, perhaps indicating that accretion onto the central star might occur during the PN phase. The discovery of a handful of nova eruptions and…
To study the progenitors of PNe at the tip of the Planetary Nebula Luminosity Function (PNLF), we obtained the deepest existing spectra of a sample of PNe in the galaxy M31. Precise chemical abundances allow us to confront the theoretical…
We explore the nature of the evolution of faint field galaxies by assuming that the local luminosity function is not well defined. We use a non-negative least squares technique to derive a near optimal set of local luminosity functions for…
(Abridged) We introduce a novel technique to construct spatially resolved maps of stellar mass surface density in galaxies based on optical and near IR imaging. We use optical/NIR colour(s) to infer effective stellar mass-to-light ratios…
In view of their nature, planetary nebulae have very short lifetimes, and the chemical abundances derived so far have a natural bias favoring younger objects. In this work, we report physical parameters and abundances for a sample of old…
Optical nebular emission lines are commonly used to estimate the star formation rate of galaxies and the black hole accretion rate of their central active nucleus. The accuracy of the conversion from line strengths to physical properties…
We have obtained multi-wavelength observations of compact Galactic planetary nebulae (PNe) to probe post-Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) evolution from the onset of nebular ejection. We analyze new observations from HST to derive the masses…
We compile published spectroscopic data and [O III] magnitudes of almost 500 extragalactic planetary nebulae (PNe) in 13 galaxies of various masses and morphological types. This is the first paper of a series that aims to analyze the PN…
The LMC is ideal for studying the co-evolution of planetary nebulae (PNe) and their central stars, in that the debilitating uncertainties of the Galactic PN distance scale and selection biases from attenuation by interstellar dust do not…
We compute the cosmic star formation rate (SFR) and the rest-frame comoving luminosity density in various pass-bands as a function of redshift using large-scale \Lambda-CDM hydrodynamical simulations with the aim of understanding their…
The [O III] 5007 planetary nebula luminosity function (PNLF) occupies an important place on the extragalactic distance ladder: it is the only standard candle that can be applied to all the large galaxies of the Local Supercluster. We review…
Context: In recent years mid- and far infrared spectra of planetary nebulae have been analysed and lead to more accurate abundances. It may be expected that these better abundances lead to a better understanding of the evolution of these…
The Planetary Nebula Spectrograph is a dedicated instrument for measuring radial velocity of individual Planetary Nebulae (PNe) in galaxies. This new instrument is providing crucial data with which to probe the structure of dark halos in…
Planetary nebulae (PNe) and their luminosity function (PNLF) in galaxies have been used as a cosmic distance indicator for decades, yet a fundamental understanding is still lacking to explain the universality of the PNLF among different…
We have developed a Monte Carlo method to compute the luminosity function of galaxies, based on photometric redshifts, which takes into account the non-gaussianity of the probability functions, and the presence of degenerate solutions in…
Numerical relativity simulations are essential to study the last stages of the binary neutron star coalescence. Unfortunately, for stable simulations there is the need to add an artificial low-density atmosphere. Here we discuss a new…