An Empirical Calibration of the Tip of the Red Giant Branch Distance Method in the Near Infrared. II. JWST NIRCam Wide Filters
The tip of the red giant branch (TRGB) is a standardizable candle, identifiable as the discontinuity at the bright extreme of the red giant branch (RGB) stars in color–magnitude diagram space. The TRGB-based distance method has been used to measure distances to galaxies out to D ≤ 20 Mpc with the Hu...
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2024-01-01
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad79f8 |
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| author | Max J. B. Newman Kristen B. W. McQuinn Evan D. Skillman Martha L. Boyer Roger E. Cohen Andrew E. Dolphin O. Grace Telford |
| author_facet | Max J. B. Newman Kristen B. W. McQuinn Evan D. Skillman Martha L. Boyer Roger E. Cohen Andrew E. Dolphin O. Grace Telford |
| author_sort | Max J. B. Newman |
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| description | The tip of the red giant branch (TRGB) is a standardizable candle, identifiable as the discontinuity at the bright extreme of the red giant branch (RGB) stars in color–magnitude diagram space. The TRGB-based distance method has been used to measure distances to galaxies out to D ≤ 20 Mpc with the Hubble Space Telescope F814W filter, and is an important rung in the distance ladder to measure the Hubble constant, H _0 . In the infrared (IR), the TRGB apparent magnitude ranges from 1–2 mag brighter than in the optical. Now with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the feasible distance range of the TRGB method can reach ∼50 Mpc. However, the IR TRGB luminosity depends to varying degrees on stellar metallicity/age. Here we standardize the TRGB luminosity using stellar colors as a proxy for metallicity/age to derive color-based corrections for the JWST Near-Infrared Camera short-wavelength filters F090W, F115W, and F150W, and the long-wavelength filters F277W, F356W, and F444W. We provide recommended filters for distance measurements depending on the requisite precision. For science requiring high precision (≤1% in distance), we recommend measuring the TRGB in F090W versus F090W − F150W or F115W versus F115W − F277W with the caveat that even with JWST, long integration times will be necessary at farther distances. If lower precision (>1.5% in distance) can be tolerated, or if shorter integration times are desirable, we recommend measuring the TRGB in either F115W or F150W. We do not recommend F444W for precision TRGB measurements due to its lower angular resolution. |
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| issn | 1538-4357 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-c2352135512247ef8ef9e20bde62f72c2025-08-20T02:18:01ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal1538-43572024-01-01975219510.3847/1538-4357/ad79f8An Empirical Calibration of the Tip of the Red Giant Branch Distance Method in the Near Infrared. II. JWST NIRCam Wide FiltersMax J. B. Newman0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8092-2077Kristen B. W. McQuinn1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5538-2614Evan D. Skillman2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0605-8732Martha L. Boyer3https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4850-9589Roger E. Cohen4https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2970-7435Andrew E. Dolphin5https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8416-4093O. Grace Telford6https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4122-7749Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers University , 136 Frelinghuysen Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA ; mjn125@physics.rutgers.eduDepartment of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers University , 136 Frelinghuysen Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA ; mjn125@physics.rutgers.edu; Space Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USAUniversity of Minnesota, Minnesota Institute for Astrophysics , School of Physics and Astronomy, 116 Church Street S.E., Minneapolis, MN 55455, USASpace Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USADepartment of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers University , 136 Frelinghuysen Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA ; mjn125@physics.rutgers.eduRaytheon , 1151 E. Hermans Road, Tucson, AZ 85756, USA; Steward Observatory, University of Arizona , 933 North Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85721, USADepartment of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers University , 136 Frelinghuysen Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA ; mjn125@physics.rutgers.edu; Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University , 4 Ivy Lane, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA; The Observatories of the Carnegie Institution for Science , 813 Santa Barbara Street, Pasadena, CA 91101, USAThe tip of the red giant branch (TRGB) is a standardizable candle, identifiable as the discontinuity at the bright extreme of the red giant branch (RGB) stars in color–magnitude diagram space. The TRGB-based distance method has been used to measure distances to galaxies out to D ≤ 20 Mpc with the Hubble Space Telescope F814W filter, and is an important rung in the distance ladder to measure the Hubble constant, H _0 . In the infrared (IR), the TRGB apparent magnitude ranges from 1–2 mag brighter than in the optical. Now with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the feasible distance range of the TRGB method can reach ∼50 Mpc. However, the IR TRGB luminosity depends to varying degrees on stellar metallicity/age. Here we standardize the TRGB luminosity using stellar colors as a proxy for metallicity/age to derive color-based corrections for the JWST Near-Infrared Camera short-wavelength filters F090W, F115W, and F150W, and the long-wavelength filters F277W, F356W, and F444W. We provide recommended filters for distance measurements depending on the requisite precision. For science requiring high precision (≤1% in distance), we recommend measuring the TRGB in F090W versus F090W − F150W or F115W versus F115W − F277W with the caveat that even with JWST, long integration times will be necessary at farther distances. If lower precision (>1.5% in distance) can be tolerated, or if shorter integration times are desirable, we recommend measuring the TRGB in either F115W or F150W. We do not recommend F444W for precision TRGB measurements due to its lower angular resolution.https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad79f8Distance indicatorsGalaxy distancesHertzsprung Russell diagramHubble Space TelescopeJames Webb Space TelescopeStandard candles |
| spellingShingle | Max J. B. Newman Kristen B. W. McQuinn Evan D. Skillman Martha L. Boyer Roger E. Cohen Andrew E. Dolphin O. Grace Telford An Empirical Calibration of the Tip of the Red Giant Branch Distance Method in the Near Infrared. II. JWST NIRCam Wide Filters The Astrophysical Journal Distance indicators Galaxy distances Hertzsprung Russell diagram Hubble Space Telescope James Webb Space Telescope Standard candles |
| title | An Empirical Calibration of the Tip of the Red Giant Branch Distance Method in the Near Infrared. II. JWST NIRCam Wide Filters |
| title_full | An Empirical Calibration of the Tip of the Red Giant Branch Distance Method in the Near Infrared. II. JWST NIRCam Wide Filters |
| title_fullStr | An Empirical Calibration of the Tip of the Red Giant Branch Distance Method in the Near Infrared. II. JWST NIRCam Wide Filters |
| title_full_unstemmed | An Empirical Calibration of the Tip of the Red Giant Branch Distance Method in the Near Infrared. II. JWST NIRCam Wide Filters |
| title_short | An Empirical Calibration of the Tip of the Red Giant Branch Distance Method in the Near Infrared. II. JWST NIRCam Wide Filters |
| title_sort | empirical calibration of the tip of the red giant branch distance method in the near infrared ii jwst nircam wide filters |
| topic | Distance indicators Galaxy distances Hertzsprung Russell diagram Hubble Space Telescope James Webb Space Telescope Standard candles |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad79f8 |
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