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Hδ in the integrated light of galaxies: What are we actually measuring?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 December 2006

L. C. Prochaska
Affiliation:
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27510, USA, email: chaska@physics.unc.edu
J. A. Rose
Affiliation:
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27510, USA, email: chaska@physics.unc.edu
R. P. Schiavon
Affiliation:
Department of Astronomy, University of Virginia, P.O. Box 3818, Charlottesville, VA 22903-0818, USA, email: ripisc@virginia.edu
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Abstract

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We present a cautionary study characterizing the influence of non-solar abundance ratios on Hδ derived ages in the integrated light of early-type galaxies. We measure Hδ using a variety of index measurements designed to assess contamination from CN molecular lines in and around the Hδ feature. We propose that neighboring CN lines have a strong effect on continuum levels and the Hδ feature itself, thereby leading to a difficulty in designing an accurate Hδ index definition in populations with C andor N non-solar abundance ratios with population synthesis models that do not account for such variations.

Type
Contributed Papers
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2007

References

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