A revised planetary nebula luminosity function distance to NGC 628 using MUSE

TL;DR

This study uses MUSE IFU spectroscopy to accurately measure planetary nebulae luminosity function distances to NGC 628, demonstrating improved contamination control and potential for refined extragalactic distance measurements.

Contribution

The paper introduces a spectral line ratio method with MUSE to distinguish PNe from other sources, refining the PNLF distance estimate for NGC 628.

Findings

New PNLF distance modulus of 29.91 mag (9.59 Mpc) for NGC 628

Full spectral information improves contamination rejection over narrowband imaging

Method can refine distances with limited spatial coverage

Abstract

Distance uncertainties plague our understanding of the physical scales relevant to the physics of star formation in extragalactic studies. The planetary nebulae luminosity function (PNLF) is one of very few techniques that can provide distance estimates to within ~10%, however it requires a planetary nebula (PN) sample that is uncontaminated by other ionizing sources. We employ optical IFU spectroscopy using MUSE on the VLT to measure [OIII] line fluxes for sources unresolved on 50 pc scales within the central star-forming galaxy disk of NGC 628. We use diagnostic line ratios to identify 62 PNe, 30 supernova remnants and 87 HII regions within our fields. Using the 36 brightest PNe we determine a new PNLF distance modulus of 29.91^{+0.08}_{-0.13} mag (9.59^{+0.35}_{-0.57} Mpc), in good agreement with literature values but significantly larger than the previously reported PNLF distance. We are able to explain the discrepancy and recover the previous result when we reintroduce SNR contaminants to our sample. This demonstrates the power of full spectral information over narrowband imaging in isolating PNe. Given our limited spatial coverage within the galaxy, we show that this technique can be used to refine distance estimates even when IFU observations cover only a fraction of a galaxy disk.