The Tip of the Red Giant Branch Distance to the Perfect Spiral Galaxy M74 Hosting Three Core-Collapse Supernovae

M74 (NGC 628) is a famous face-on spiral galaxy, hosting three core-collapse supernovae (SNe):SN Ic 2002ap, SN II-P 2003gd, and SN II-P 2013ej. However its distance is not well known. We present a distance estimation for this galaxy based on the Tip of the Red Giant Branch (TRGB) method. We obtain photometry of the resolved stars in the arm-free region of M74 from F555W and F814W images in the Hubble Space Telescope archive. The color-magnitude diagram of the resolved stars shows a dominant red giant branch (RGB) as well as blue main sequence stars, red helium burning stars, and asymptotic giant branch stars. The I-band luminosity function of the RGB stars shows the TRGB to be at I_TRGB = 26.13 pm 0.03 mag, and T_RGB = 25.97 pm 0.03. From this we derive the distance modulus to M74 to be 30.04 pm 0.04 (random) pm 0.12 (systematic) (corresponding to a linear distance, 10.19 pm 0.14 pm 0.56 Mpc). With this distance estimate, we calibrate the standardized candle method for SNe II-P. From the absolute magnitudes of SN 2003gd, we derive a value of the Hubble constant, H_0 = 72 pm 6 (random) pm 7 (systematic) km s^-1 Mpc^-1. It is similar to recent estimates based on the luminosity calibration of Type Ia supernovae.

[1]  Edward J. Shaya,et al.  Tip of the Red Giant Branch Distances. II. Zero-Point Calibration , 2007, astro-ph/0701518.

[2]  B. Madore,et al.  The Hubble Constant , 2010, 1004.1856.

[3]  In Sung Jang,et al.  THE DISTANCE TO M101 HOSTING TYPE Ia SUPERNOVA 2011fe BASED ON THE TIP OF THE RED GIANT BRANCH , 2012, 1210.6040.

[4]  R. Kotak,et al.  On the progenitor of the Type IIP SN 2013ej in M74. , 2013, 1309.4268.

[5]  Philip A. Pinto,et al.  Type II Supernovae as Standardized Candles , 2002 .

[6]  M. Bellazzini,et al.  The Tip of the Red Giant Branch , 2007, 0711.2016.

[7]  Robert P. Kirshner,et al.  THE STANDARDIZED CANDLE METHOD FOR TYPE II PLATEAU SUPERNOVAE , 2010, 1004.2534.

[8]  R. Ciardullo,et al.  Planetary Nebulae in Face-On Spiral Galaxies. I. Planetary Nebula Photometry and Distances , 2008, 0805.1074.

[9]  Wendy L. Freedman,et al.  SHARPENING THE TIP OF THE RED GIANT BRANCH , 2008, 0809.2598.

[10]  Wendy L. Freedman,et al.  The Tip of the Red Giant Branch as a Distance Indicator for Resolved Galaxies , 1993 .

[11]  Subhash Bose,et al.  DISTANCE DETERMINATION TO EIGHT GALAXIES USING EXPANDING PHOTOSPHERE METHOD , 2014, 1401.5115.

[12]  M. Richmond.  BVRI Photometry of SN 2013ej in M74 , 2014, 1405.7900.

[13]  R. Chornock,et al.  The Distance to SN 1999em in NGC 1637 from the Expanding Photosphere Method , 2001, astro-ph/0109535.

[14]  Darko Jevremovic,et al.  The Dartmouth Stellar Evolution Database , 2008, 0804.4473.

[15]  J. P. Huchra,et al.  Final Results from the Hubble Space Telescope Key Project to Measure the Hubble Constant , 1998, astro-ph/9801080.

[16]  R. Foley,et al.  The Aspherical Properties of the Energetic Type Ic SN 2002ap as Inferred from Its Nebular Spectra , 2007, 0708.0966.

[17]  Wendy L. Freedman,et al.  Tip of the Red Giant Branch Distances to Galaxies. III. The Dwarf Galaxy Sextans A , 1996 .

[18]  S. Verley,et al.  A study of the Type II-P supernova 2003gd in M74 , 2005, astro-ph/0501341.

[19]  Wendy L. Freedman,et al.  Measuring and modeling the universe , 2010 .

[20]  N. Benı́tez,et al.  The Photometric Performance and Calibration of the Hubble Space Telescope Advanced Camera for Surveys , 2000, astro-ph/0507614.

[21]  Douglas P. Finkbeiner,et al.  MEASURING REDDENING WITH SLOAN DIGITAL SKY SURVEY STELLAR SPECTRA AND RECALIBRATING SFD , 2010, 1012.4804.

[22]  Peter B. Stetson,et al.  THE CENTER OF THE CORE-CUSP GLOBULAR CLUSTER M15: CFHT AND HST OBSERVATIONS, ALLFRAME REDUCTIONS , 1994 .

[23]  I. Jang,et al.  THE TIP OF THE RED GIANT BRANCH DISTANCES TO TYPE Ia SUPERNOVA HOST GALAXIES. II. M66 AND M96 IN THE LEO I GROUP , 2013, 1306.2306.

[24]  Wendy L. Freedman,et al.  CARNEGIE HUBBLE PROGRAM: A MID-INFRARED CALIBRATION OF THE HUBBLE CONSTANT , 2012, 1208.3281.

[25]  I. Karachentsev,et al.  Photometric distances to NGC 628 and its four companions. , 1996 .

[26]  A. Gusev,et al.  Parameters of the brightest star formation regions in the two principal spiral arms of NGC 628 , 2013, 1310.3690.

[27]  S. Smartt,et al.  The first month of evolution of the slow-rising Type IIP SN 2013ej in M74 , 2013, 1309.4269.

[28]  Mamoru Doi,et al.  THE TYPE IC HYPERNOVA SN 2002AP , 2002 .

[29]  Stephen J. Smartt,et al.  Progenitors of Core-Collapse Supernovae , 2009, 0908.0700.

[30]  L. Girardi,et al.  THE ACS NEARBY GALAXY SURVEY TREASURY , 2007, 0905.3737.

[31]  D. Finkbeiner,et al.  Measuring Reddening with SDSS Stellar Spectra , 2011 .

[32]  Stefano Casertano,et al.  A 3% SOLUTION: DETERMINATION OF THE HUBBLE CONSTANT WITH THE HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE AND WIDE FIELD CAMERA 3 , 2011, 1103.2976.