1996/04/25 by Sangeeta Malhotra, David N. Spergel, David N Spergel +3 · 33 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomy #Astrophysics #Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies #Cepheid variable #Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena #Galaxy #Galaxy formation and evolution #Galaxy rotation curve #Luminosity #Milky Way #Physics #Sigma #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies #Tully–Fisher relation #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1086/178181
published in The Astrophysical Journal 473(2), 687-691 (IOP Publishing) · 11 pages, aaspp macro, 3 figures, submitted to the Astrophysical Journal. Also available at http://www.astro.princeton.edu/~san/gal.html
arxiv created 1996/04/25 · openalex publication_date 1996/12/20 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · arxiv updated 2016/08/30 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
Using the near-infrared fluxes of local galaxies derived from Cosmic Background Explorer ( COBE )/ Diffuse Infrared Background Experiment (DIRBE) COBE data sets were devloped by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center under the guidance of the COBE Science Working Group and were provided by the National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC). J- (1.25 μm) K- (2.2 μm), and L -band (3.5 μm) maps and published Cepheid distances, we construct Tully-Fisher (TF) diagrams for nearby galaxies. The measured dispersions in these luminosity-line width diagrams are remarkably small: σ J = 0.09 mag, σ K = 0.13 mag, and σ L = 0.20 mag. These dispersions include contributions from the intrinsic TF relation scatter and the errors in estimated galaxy distances, fluxes, inclination angles, extinction corrections, and circular speeds. For the J and K bands, Monte Carlo simulations give a 95% confidence interval upper limit on the true scatter in the TF diagram of σ J ≤ 0.35 and σ K ≤ 0.45. We determine the Milky Way's luminosity and place it in the TF diagram by fitting a bar plus exponential disk model of the Milky Way to the all-sky DIRBE maps. For "standard" values of its size and circular speed (Sun-Galactic center distance R 0 = 8.5 kpc and Θ 0 = 220 km s –1 ), the Milky Way lies within 1.5 σ of the TF relations. We can use the TF relation and the Cepheid distances to nearby bright galaxies to constrain R 0 and Θ: 1.63 log (Θ 0 /220 km s –1 ) - log ( R 0 /8.5 kpc) = 0.08 ± 0.03. Alternatively, we can fix the parameters of the Galaxy to their standard values, ignore the Cepheid zero point, and use the TF relation to determine the Hubble constant directly: H 0 = 72 ± 12 km s –1 Mpc –1 . We have also tested the TF relation at longer wavelengths, where the emission is dominated by dust. We find no evidence for a TF relation at wavelengths beyond 10 μm. The tight correlation seen in the L band suggests that stellar emission dominates over the 3.3 μm polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon emission.