Planetary nebulae as tracers of stellar population properties: a pilot study with MUSE

TL;DR

This study uses integral-field spectroscopy with MUSE to detect planetary nebulae in galaxy centers, linking their properties to stellar population characteristics and metallicity, overcoming limitations of traditional imaging methods.

Contribution

It introduces the DELF technique for automated PNe detection and spectral analysis, enabling new insights into PNe as tracers of stellar populations in galaxy cores.

Findings

PN number density correlates with galaxy metallicity

Weak anti-correlation between alpha-parameter and FUV excess

Fewer PNe in UV-excess stellar populations

Abstract

Planetary nebulae (PNe) are the only single stars in galaxies outside the Local Group that can be used as kinematic tracers of the diffuse light in the extended halo. Analysing their luminosity-specific number density across galaxies of different morphologies has also shown hints that they may be used as tracers of the age and metallicity of stellar populations. A proper understanding of this relation has been hindered by the fact that simultaneously detecting PNe and accurately measuring stellar properties is extremely difficult using classical narrow-band imaging methods, which cannot detect PNe in the bright centres of galaxies. In this work, we use integral-field spectroscopy to overcome this challenge, analysing the inner regions of a sample of ten early-type galaxies from the Extended Planetary Nebulae Survey (ePN.S) for which archival MUSE data was available. With the Diffuse Emission-Line Filter (DELF) technique, we automate the detection of PNe, and perform spectral fitting on the diffuse light to infer kinematics and stellar population parameters. We compare the PN number density profile and its associated alpha-parameter with multiple properties of the host galaxies. We find that our sample follows the previously observationally constrained correlation with the metallicity of the host galaxy. We find a weak anti-correlation between the alpha-parameter and the FUV excess, highlighting the possible relation between the visibility lifetime of PNe on the spectral energy distribution of their host galaxies, with fewer PNe detected in association with stellar populations characterized by a UV excess.