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arXiv · 0805.3555

The Araucaria Project: the Local Group Galaxy WLM--Distance and metallicity from quantitative spectroscopy of blue Supergiants

M. A. Urbaneja·R. -P. Kudritzki·F. Bresolin·N. Przybilla·W. Gieren·G. Pietrzynski
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Abstract

The quantitative analysis of low resolution spectra of A and B supergiants is used to determine a distance modulus of 24.99 +/- 0.10 mag (995 +/- 46 Kpc) to the Local Group galaxy WLM. The analysis yields stellar effective temperatures and gravities, which provide a distance through the Flux weighted Gravity--Luminosity Relationship (FGLR). Our distance is 0.07 mag larger than the most recent results based on Cepheids and the tip of the RGB. This difference is within the 1-sigma overlap of the typical uncertainties quoted in these photometric investigations. In addition, non-LTE spectral synthesis of the rich metal line spectra (mostly iron, chromium and titanium) of the A supergiants is carried out, which allows the determination of stellar metallicities. An average metallicity of -0.87 +/- 0.06 dex with respect to solar metallicity is found.

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M. A. Urbaneja, R. -P. Kudritzki, F. Bresolin, N. Przybilla, W. Gieren, G. Pietrzynski. 2008-05-22. The Araucaria Project: the Local Group Galaxy WLM--Distance and metallicity from quantitative spectroscopy of blue Supergiants. https://doi.org/10.1086/590334

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