Abstract

Contributed Talk - Splinter Stars

Wednesday, 15 September 2021, 10:40   (virtual Stars)

MUSE Planetary Nebula Luminosity Function of NGC 300

Azlizan A. Soemitro, Martin M. Roth, Peter M. Weilbacher, George H. Jacoby, Robin Ciardullo
Leibniz-Institut für Astrophysik Potsdam (AIP), Universität Potsdam, NFS's NOIRLab, The Pennsylvania State University

Planetary nebula luminosity function (PNLF) is a reliable distance indicator with ~10% accuracy. However, in star-forming galaxies like NGC 300, other ionised nebulae such as supernova remnants or compact HII regions are prone to be misclassified as planetary nebulae (PNe). In this context, impressive resolving power and spectral information of MUSE allow us to better discriminate PNe from their mimics. With the novel method of Differential Emission Line Filter (DELF), we present the deepest PN survey of NGC 300 to date and calculate the distance modulus. We also observe the PNLF dip, which is expected for a star-forming galaxy but was not previously seen in the case of NGC 300. Moreover, we measure Balmer decrements for the brightest PNe to investigate role of internal extinction and ISM in the luminosity function and underlying stellar population. In this talk, we will present our PNe search and classification scheme, PNLF distance determination method, and preliminary results of our extinction studies.