The SBF Survey of Galaxy Distances. I. Sample Selection, Photometric Calibration, and the Hubble Constant

We describe a program of surface brightness fluctuation (SBF) measurements for determining galaxy distances. This paper presents the photometric calibration of our sample and of SBF in general. Basing our zero point on observations of Cepheid variable stars, we find that the absolute SBF magnitude in the Kron-Cousins I band correlates well with the mean (V - I)0 color of a galaxy according to for 1.0 < (V - I) < 1.3. This agrees well with theoretical estimates from stellar population models. Comparisons between SBF distances and a variety of other estimators, including Cepheid variable stars, the planetary nebula luminosity function (PNLF), Tully-Fisher (TF), Dn-σ, SN II, and SN Ia, demonstrate that the calibration of SBF is universally valid and that SBF error estimates are accurate. The zero point given by Cepheids, PNLF, TF (both calibrated using Cepheids), and SN II is in units of megaparsecs; the zero point given by TF (referenced to a distant frame), Dn-σ, and SN Ia is in terms of a Hubble expansion velocity expressed in km s-1. Tying together these two zero points yields a Hubble constant of As part of this analysis, we present SBF distances to 12 nearby groups of galaxies where Cepheids, SN II, and SN Ia have been observed.

[1]  J. Tonry,et al.  Infrared Surface Brightness Fluctuations in Virgo Cluster Elliptical Galaxies , 1996 .

[2]  Brian Paul Schmidt,et al.  The atmospheres of type II supernovae and the expanding photosphere method , 1996 .

[3]  Observatories of the Carnegie Institution of Washington,et al.  Cepheid Calibration of the Peak Brightness of Type Ia Supernovae. IX. SN 1989B in NGC 3627 , 1999, astro-ph/9904389.

[4]  W. Harris,et al.  Planetary Nebulae As Standard Candles. X. Tests in the Coma I Region , 1996 .

[5]  A. Sandage,et al.  Cepheid Calibration of the Peak Brightness of Type Ia Supernovae: Calibration of SN 1990N in NGC 4639 Averaged with Six Earlier Type Ia Supernova Calibrations to Give H0 Directly , 1996 .

[6]  G. Worthey.  Finding Ages for Old Stellar Populations , 1996 .

[7]  B. Thomsen,et al.  Variation in the Surface Brightness Fluctuations of M32 , 1996 .

[8]  N. Tanvir,et al.  Determination of the Hubble constant from observations of Cepheid variables in the galaxy M96 , 1995, Nature.

[9]  D. Terndrup,et al.  Implications of New JHK Photometry and a Deep Infrared Luminosity Function for the Galactic Bulge , 1995, astro-ph/9508144.

[10]  B. Thomsen,et al.  A Gradient in the Surface Brightness Fluctuations of NGC 3379 , 1995 .

[11]  A. Buzzoni.  Evolutionary Population Synthesis in Stellar Systems. II. Early-Type Galaxies , 1995 .

[12]  R. Buta,et al.  Total and Effective Colors of 501 Galaxies in the Cousins VRI Photometric System , 1995 .

[13]  A. Saha,et al.  Discovery of Cepheids in NGC 5253: Absolute peak brightness of SN Ia 1895B and SN Ia 1972E and the value of H(sub 0) , 1995 .

[14]  G. Worthey.  Comprehensive stellar population models and the disentanglement of age and metallicity effects , 1994 .

[15]  J. Mould,et al.  The dispersion in the near-infrared surface brightness fluctuations in the Virgo cluster , 1994 .

[16]  J. Tonry,et al.  SURFACE BRIGHTNESS FLUCTUATIONS IN GLOBULAR CLUSTERS AND STELLAR POPULATIONS IN GALAXIES , 1994 .

[17]  Garth D. Illingworth,et al.  The Hubble Space Telescope Extragalactic Distance Scale Key Project. 1: The discovery of Cepheids and a new distance to M81 , 1994 .

[18]  C. Pritchet,et al.  Surface brightness fluctuation distances to NGC 4494 and NGC 4565 and the Virgocentric infall , 1994 .

[19]  P. Harding,et al.  The Extragalactic Distance Scale Key Project. IV. The Discovery of Cepheids and a New Distance to M100 Using the Hubble Space Telescope , 1996 .

[20]  Nicholas B. Suntzeff,et al.  A Hubble diagram of distant type IA supernovae , 1993 .

[21]  J. Tonry,et al.  A comparison of the planetary nebula luminosity function and surface brightness fluctuation distance scales , 1993 .

[22]  P. Schechter,et al.  DOPHOT, A CCD PHOTOMETRY PROGRAM: DESCRIPTION AND TESTS , 1993 .

[23]  Allan Sandage,et al.  The Hubble diagram in V for supernovae of Type Ia and the value of H(0) therefrom , 1993 .

[24]  M. Phillips,et al.  The Absolute Magnitudes of Type IA Supernovae , 1993 .

[25]  G. Worthey.  The dependence of the brightness fluctuation distance indicator on stellar population age and metallicity , 1993 .

[26]  Gerard A. Luppino,et al.  Infrared Surface Brightness Fluctuations: K -Band Observations of M31, M32, and the Distance to Maffei 1 , 1993 .

[27]  R. Davies,et al.  A CRITICAL REVIEW OF SELECTED TECHNIQUES FOR MEASURING EXTRAGALACTIC DISTANCES , 1992 .

[28]  Arlo U. Landolt,et al.  UBVRI Photometric Standard Stars in the Magnitude Range 11 , 1992 .

[29]  G. Tammann.  Cosmic expansion and deviations from it , 1992 .

[30]  J. Tonry.  Surface Brightness Fluctuations: A Bridge from M31 to the Hubble Constant , 1991 .

[31]  B. Madore,et al.  An empirical test for the metallicity sensitivity of the Cepheid period-luminosity relation , 1990 .

[32]  Gerard A. Luppino,et al.  Observations of surface-brightness fluctuations in Virgo , 1990 .

[33]  J. Tonry,et al.  Surface Brightness Fluctuations and the Distance to the Virgo Cluster , 1989 .

[34]  J. Mathis,et al.  The relationship between infrared, optical, and ultraviolet extinction , 1989 .

[35]  Wendy L. Freedman,et al.  Stellar content of nearby galaxies. II. The Local Group dwarf elliptical galaxy M32 , 1989 .

[36]  S. Faber,et al.  Spectroscopy and Photometry of Elliptical Galaxies. VI. Sample Selection and Data Summary: Erratum , 1989 .

[37]  John L. Tonry,et al.  A new technique for measuring extragalactic distances , 1988 .

[38]  David Burstein,et al.  Spectroscopy and photometry of elliptical galaxies. V - Galaxy streaming toward the new supergalactic center , 1988 .

[39]  P. Demarque,et al.  The revised Yale isochrones and luminosity functions : containing both the theoretical and photometric UBVRI quantities with HR diagrams and luminosity function plots , 1987 .

[40]  Pierre Demarque,et al.  The Revised Yale Isochrones and Luminosity Functions , 1984 .

[41]  C. Heiles,et al.  Reddening estimates for galaxies in the Second Reference Catalog and the Uppsala General Catalog , 1984 .

[42]  P. Schechter,et al.  The velocity field in the local supercluster , 1982 .

[43]  J. Elias,et al.  Bolometric luminosities and infrared properties of carbon stars in the Magellanic Clouds and the galaxy. , 1981 .

[44]  J. Tonry,et al.  Velocity Dispersions of Elliptical and s0 Galaxies - Part Two - Infall of the Local Group to Virgo , 1981 .