Distance Measurement in Astronomy

RED BOX RULES ARE FOR PROOF STAGE ONLY. DELETE BEFORE FINAL PRINTING. An Introduction to de Grijs Distance to An Introduction Measurement in Astronomy Richard de Grijs, Kavli Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Peking University, China Distance Measurement in Astronomy in Measurement Distance An Introduction to Distance Measurement in Astronomy delves into the physical processes and properties underlining the methods used for distance determinations, travelling from our local solar neighbourhood to the edge of the Universe and defi ning the milestones along the way. Accurate distance measurements are of prime importance to our understanding of the fundamental properties of not only the Universe as a whole, but also of the large variety of astrophysical objects contained within it. This book illustrates the interdependence of measurements across radically different scales and provides a clear introductory overview of the many subfi elds of relevance to this topic. It outlines the links between distance determination techniques and many other areas of astrophysics and Richard de Grijs cosmology, including; • stellar types, star clusters and their life cycles • stellar content, dynamics and evolution of galaxies • the expansion, geometry and history of the Universe An Introduction to The focus of this text is on the physics behind distance determination methods, highlighting the effectiveness of modern techniques including up-to-date results with accounts of recent progress and detailed discussions of the uncertainties and pitfalls associated with all methods. This enables the reader to build a framework for understanding how to place observations into an astrophysical context and recognize that Distance some key issues are open-ended. This highly valuable and practical book is not only appropriate for undergraduate and postgraduate students but also includes technical and detailed material for the more advanced reader. Measurement in Astronomy An Introduction to Distance Measurement in Astronomy An Introduction to Distance Measurement in Astronomy RICHARD DE GRIJS | Kavli Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Peking University, China This edition first published 2011 © 2011 John Wiley & Sons Ltd Registered office John Wiley & Sons Ltd, The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, United Kingdom For details of our global editorial offices, for customer services and for information about how to apply for permission to reuse the copyright material in this book please see our website at www.wiley.com. The right of the author to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. 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No warranty may be created or extended by any promotional statements for this work. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for any damages arising herefrom. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data De Grijs, Richard, 1969- An introduction to distance measurement in astronomy / Richard de Grijs. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-470-51179-4 (cloth) – ISBN 978-0-470-51180-0 (paper) – ISBN 978-1-119-97818-3 (ePDF) – ISBN 978-1-119-97817-6 (ebook) – ISBN 978-1-119-97980-7 (ePub) – ISBN 978-1-119-97981-4 (eMobi) 1. Cosmological distances–Measurement. 2. Astronomy–Methodology. I. Title. QB991.C66D34 2011 522.87–dc23 2011014927 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Print ISBN: 9780470511794 (H/B) 9780470511800 (P/B) ePDF ISBN: 9781119978183 oBook ISBN: 9781119978176 ePub ISBN: 9781119979807 eMobi ISBN: 9781119979814 Set in 10/12 pt Times-Roman by Thomson Digital, Noida, India Printed and bound in Singapore by Markono Print Media Pvt. Ltd. To (Jie) for her unconditional love and support throughout the years Contents Preface xi 1 The Importance of Astrophysical Distance Measurements 1 1.1 The Distance to the Galactic Centre 2 1.1.1 Early Determinations of R0 3 1.1.2 Modern Results 6 1.2 The Distance to the Large Magellanic Cloud 11 1.3 Benchmarks Beyond the Magellanic Clouds: the 3D Universe on Large(r) Scales 15 Bibliography 22 2 The Solar Neighbourhood 31 2.1 Geometric Parallax Measurements 31 2.1.1 Trigonometric Parallax 31 2.1.2 Astrometric Advances: Space-Based Missions and Interferometry 33 2.1.3 Secular and Statistical Parallaxes: Moving Groups Method 39 2.2 Dynamical Parallax 42 2.2.1 Mass–Luminosity Relations 46 2.3 Spectroscopic and Photometric Parallaxes 50 Bibliography 55 3 From the Milky Way to the Local Group 63 3.1 Basic Stellar Physics as the Key to Understanding Distance Measurements to Local Group Galaxies 63 3.1.1 Stellar Evolution Through the Hertzsprung–Russell Diagram 63 3.1.2 From Two to Multiple Stellar Populations 68 3.2 Open and Globular Cluster Hertzsprung–Russell Diagrams 70 3.2.1 Main-Sequence and Subdwarf Fitting 70 3.2.2 Red Clump Stars 72 3.2.3 The (Zero-Age) Horizontal Branch Level 74 3.3 Giants and Supergiants as Standard Candles 76 3.3.1 The Tip of the Red Giant Branch 76 3.3.2 The Red Giant Branch Bump 78 3.3.3 Supergiants as Standard Candles 80 3.4 White Dwarf Sequences 83 3.5 Period–Density Relations 84 3.5.1 The Baade–Wesselink Method 85 3.5.2 Classical Cepheid Variables 87 viii Contents 3.5.3 Mira Variables 90 3.5.4 W Virginis and Other ‘Population II’ Cepheids 93 3.5.5 RR Lyrae Stars 95 3.5.6 Dwarf and Anomalous Cepheids 97 3.6 Novae as Standard Candles 98 3.7 Geometric Methods 100 3.7.1 Planetary Nebula Expansion Parallaxes 101 3.7.2 Supernova Light Echoes 102 3.7.3 Eclipsing Binary Stars 106 3.7.4 Maser-Based Distance Determinations 108 3.8 Pulsars: Distance Measurements Outside the ‘Classical’ Wavelength Range 110 Bibliography 114 4 Reaching Virgo Cluster Distances and Beyond 135 4.1 The Hubble Space Telescope Key Project 135 4.2 Surface Brightness Fluctuations 136 4.3 The Globular Cluster Luminosity Function 140 4.3.1 Elliptical Versus Spiral Galaxy GCLFs 141 4.3.2 The Stellar Population Mix 144 4.3.3 GCLF and GCMF Universality Through Dynamical Evolution 144 4.4 The Planetary Nebulae Luminosity Function 148 4.4.1 Applicability 149 4.4.2 Physical Basis 150 4.5 The Tully–Fisher Relation 151 4.5.1 Wavelength Dependence 152 4.5.2 The Scatter in the Tully–Fisher Relation 154 4.6 Distance Indicators Specific to Elliptical Galaxies 156 4.7 The Colour–Magnitude Relation 161 4.8 Hii Regions as Distance Indicators? 164 Bibliography 165 5 From Nearby Galaxy Clusters to Cosmological Distances 175 5.1 Cosmological Redshifts 175 5.1.1 Determination of the Current Expansion Rate of the Universe 175 5.1.2 Redshift Surveys and Peculiar Velocities 176 5.1.3 The Prevailing Cosmological Model 179 5.2 Supernovae as Beacons 186 5.2.1 Type Ia Supernovae 188 5.2.2 Type II-P Supernovae 197 5.2.3 A Link to Gamma-Ray Bursts as Standard Candles? 207 5.3 Indirect Techniques to Measure H0 210 5.3.1 Gravitational Lensing: Time Delays 210 5.3.2 The Sunyaev–Zel’dovich Effect 215 5.3.3 Anisotropies in the Cosmic Microwave Background 222 5.3.4 The Drive for Improved Accuracy 225 Bibliography 227 Contents

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