2004/02/11 by Claudia Maraston · 1 citation
Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomy #Astronomy and Astrophysical Research #Astrophysics #Asymptotic giant branch #Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena #Galaxy #Large Magellanic Cloud #Physics #Population #Redshift #Spectral energy distribution #Spitzer Space Telescope #Star formation #Stars #Stellar population #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1007/10995020_44
6 pages, 3 figures, to appear in the proceedings of the Venice 2003 conference "Multiwavelength Mapping of Galaxy Formation and Evolution", eds. R. Bender and A. Renzini
arxiv created 2004/02/11 · openalex publication_date 2006/01/05 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
We present new stellar population models that include the contribution of the Thermally Pulsing Asymptotic Giant Branch (TP-AGB) phase also in the synthetic spectral energy distribution (SED). The TP-AGB phase is essential for a correct modeling of intermediate-age (0.2 < t/Gyr < 1-2) stellar populations, because it provides ~40% of the bolometric contribution, and up to ~80% of that in the K-band. These models are obtained by coupling the energetic of the TP-AGB phase as calibrated with data of Magellanic Clouds star clusters (Maraston 1998), with empirical spectra of TP-AGB stars (Lancon & Mouchine 2002). Now that the Spitzer Space Telescope (SST) allows the sight of the rest-frame IR at high redshifts, these models provide the opportunity to use the TP-AGB phase as an age indicator also for high-redshift stellar populations. Here we focus on redshift 3 and provide predictions of the colours of various galaxy models as will be measured by means of the IRAC imaging instrument on board the SST. We find a sizable magnitude difference between TP-AGB-dominated high-redshift stellar populations and those being older or younger. The first releases of GOODS data should allow a check of these predictions.