Photometric Metallicity and Distance Estimates for ∼70,000 RR Lyrae Stars from the Zwicky Transient Facility

Utilizing Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) data and existing RR Lyrae stars (RRLs) catalogs, this study achieves the first calibration of the P − ϕ _31 − R _21 − [Fe/H] and P − ϕ _31 − A _2 − A _1 − [Fe/H] relations in the ZTF photometric system for RRab and RRc stars. We also recalibrate the period–...

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Main Authors: Shun-Xuan He, Yang Huang, Xin-Yi Li, Hua-Wei Zhang, Gao-Chao Liu, Timothy C. Beers, Hong Wu, Zhou Fan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IOP Publishing 2025-01-01
Series:The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4365/adbcad
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author Shun-Xuan He
Yang Huang
Xin-Yi Li
Hua-Wei Zhang
Gao-Chao Liu
Timothy C. Beers
Hong Wu
Zhou Fan
author_facet Shun-Xuan He
Yang Huang
Xin-Yi Li
Hua-Wei Zhang
Gao-Chao Liu
Timothy C. Beers
Hong Wu
Zhou Fan
author_sort Shun-Xuan He
collection DOAJ
description Utilizing Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) data and existing RR Lyrae stars (RRLs) catalogs, this study achieves the first calibration of the P − ϕ _31 − R _21 − [Fe/H] and P − ϕ _31 − A _2 − A _1 − [Fe/H] relations in the ZTF photometric system for RRab and RRc stars. We also recalibrate the period–absolute magnitude–metallicity (PMZ) and period–Wesenheit–metallicity (PWZ) relations in the ZTF gri bands for RRab and RRc stars. Based on nearly 4100 stars with precise measurements of P , ϕ _31 , A _2 , and A _1 , and available spectroscopic metallicity estimates, the photometric metallicity relations exhibit strong internal consistency across different bands, supporting the use of a weighted averaging method for the final estimates. The photometric metallicity estimates of globular clusters based on RR Lyrae members also show excellent agreement with high-resolution spectroscopic measurements, with a typical scatter of 0.15 dex for RRab stars and 0.14 dex for RRc stars, respectively. Using hundreds of local RRLs with newly derived photometric metallicities and precise Gaia Data Release 3 parallaxes, we establish the PMZ and PWZ relations in multiple bands. Validation with globular cluster RR Lyrae members reveals typical distance errors of 3.1% and 3.0% for the PMZ relations, and 3.1% and 2.6% for the PWZ relations for RRab and RRc stars, respectively. Compared to PMZ relations, the PWZ relations are tighter and almost unbiased, making them the recommended choice for distance calculations. We present a catalog of 73,795 RRLs with precise photometric metallicities; over 95% of them have accurate distance measurements. Compared to Gaia DR3, approximately 25,000 RRLs have precise photometric metallicities and distances derived for the first time.
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spelling doaj-art-e4c515995e224d3090119e740d6c46e32025-08-20T03:10:10ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series0067-00492025-01-012781210.3847/1538-4365/adbcadPhotometric Metallicity and Distance Estimates for ∼70,000 RR Lyrae Stars from the Zwicky Transient FacilityShun-Xuan He0https://orcid.org/0009-0007-4233-5334Yang Huang1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3250-2876Xin-Yi Li2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2086-0684Hua-Wei Zhang3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7727-1699Gao-Chao Liu4https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6542-1517Timothy C. Beers5https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4573-6233Hong Wu6https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4333-3994Zhou Fan7https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3067-3540Key Lab of Optical Astronomy, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing 100101, People’s Republic of China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing 100049, People’s Republic of ChinaKey Lab of Optical Astronomy, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing 100101, People’s Republic of China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing 100049, People’s Republic of ChinaDepartment of Astronomy, College of Physics and Electronic Engineering, Qilu Normal University , Jinan 250200, People’s Republic of ChinaDepartment of Astronomy, Peking University , Beijing 100871, People’s Republic of China; Kavli Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Peking University , Bejing 100871, People’s Republic of ChinaCenter for Astronomy and Space Sciences, China Three Gorges University , Yichang 443002, People’s Republic of ChinaDepartment of Physics and Astronomy and JINA Center for the Evolution of the Elements (JINA-CEE), University of Notre Dame , Notre Dame, IN 46556, USAKey Lab of Optical Astronomy, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing 100101, People’s Republic of China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing 100049, People’s Republic of ChinaKey Lab of Optical Astronomy, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing 100101, People’s Republic of China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing 100049, People’s Republic of ChinaUtilizing Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) data and existing RR Lyrae stars (RRLs) catalogs, this study achieves the first calibration of the P − ϕ _31 − R _21 − [Fe/H] and P − ϕ _31 − A _2 − A _1 − [Fe/H] relations in the ZTF photometric system for RRab and RRc stars. We also recalibrate the period–absolute magnitude–metallicity (PMZ) and period–Wesenheit–metallicity (PWZ) relations in the ZTF gri bands for RRab and RRc stars. Based on nearly 4100 stars with precise measurements of P , ϕ _31 , A _2 , and A _1 , and available spectroscopic metallicity estimates, the photometric metallicity relations exhibit strong internal consistency across different bands, supporting the use of a weighted averaging method for the final estimates. The photometric metallicity estimates of globular clusters based on RR Lyrae members also show excellent agreement with high-resolution spectroscopic measurements, with a typical scatter of 0.15 dex for RRab stars and 0.14 dex for RRc stars, respectively. Using hundreds of local RRLs with newly derived photometric metallicities and precise Gaia Data Release 3 parallaxes, we establish the PMZ and PWZ relations in multiple bands. Validation with globular cluster RR Lyrae members reveals typical distance errors of 3.1% and 3.0% for the PMZ relations, and 3.1% and 2.6% for the PWZ relations for RRab and RRc stars, respectively. Compared to PMZ relations, the PWZ relations are tighter and almost unbiased, making them the recommended choice for distance calculations. We present a catalog of 73,795 RRLs with precise photometric metallicities; over 95% of them have accurate distance measurements. Compared to Gaia DR3, approximately 25,000 RRLs have precise photometric metallicities and distances derived for the first time.https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4365/adbcadRR Lyrae variable starsMetallicityDistance measure
spellingShingle Shun-Xuan He
Yang Huang
Xin-Yi Li
Hua-Wei Zhang
Gao-Chao Liu
Timothy C. Beers
Hong Wu
Zhou Fan
Photometric Metallicity and Distance Estimates for ∼70,000 RR Lyrae Stars from the Zwicky Transient Facility
The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series
RR Lyrae variable stars
Metallicity
Distance measure
title Photometric Metallicity and Distance Estimates for ∼70,000 RR Lyrae Stars from the Zwicky Transient Facility
title_full Photometric Metallicity and Distance Estimates for ∼70,000 RR Lyrae Stars from the Zwicky Transient Facility
title_fullStr Photometric Metallicity and Distance Estimates for ∼70,000 RR Lyrae Stars from the Zwicky Transient Facility
title_full_unstemmed Photometric Metallicity and Distance Estimates for ∼70,000 RR Lyrae Stars from the Zwicky Transient Facility
title_short Photometric Metallicity and Distance Estimates for ∼70,000 RR Lyrae Stars from the Zwicky Transient Facility
title_sort photometric metallicity and distance estimates for ∼70 000 rr lyrae stars from the zwicky transient facility
topic RR Lyrae variable stars
Metallicity
Distance measure
url https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4365/adbcad
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