The Planetary Nebula Luminosity Function (PNLF): Contamination from Supernova Remnants

TL;DR

This study investigates whether supernova remnants contaminate planetary nebula luminosity function measurements used for extragalactic distance estimation, finding that SNRs are unlikely to cause significant errors in current surveys.

Contribution

The paper provides an analysis of SNR contamination in PNLF measurements, demonstrating that compact SNRs are not a major source of misidentification in extragalactic PN surveys beyond 10 Mpc.

Findings

Compact SNRs are not significant contaminants in PNLF surveys.

Spectroscopic data shows minimal overlap between SNRs and PNe at large distances.

Results support the reliability of PNLF as a distance indicator beyond 10 Mpc.

Abstract

The planetary nebula luminosity function (PNLF) has been used as an extragalactic distance indicator since the 1980's, but there are still unsolved problems associated with its use. One of the most serious involves PNLF distances beyond ~ 10 Mpc, which tend to be slightly smaller than those of other methods. We consider the implications of previous spectroscopic investigations that found that several of the brightest planetary nebula (PN) candidates in M74 are actually compact supernova remnants (SNRs). Using narrow-band imaging data from the KPNO 4-m telescope, we measure the [O III] $\lambda$5007 and H$\alpha$ fluxes of all the known SNRs in M31 and M33, and test whether those objects could be misidentified as bright PNe at distances beyond ~ 10 Mpc. Our results suggest that compact SNRs are not an important source of contamination in photometric surveys for extragalactic PNe.