FAST-SBF: an automatic procedure for the measurement of Surface Brightness Fluctuations for large sky surveys

Abstract

The Surface Brightness Fluctuation method is one of the most reliable and efficient ways of measuring distances to galaxies within 100 Mpc. While recent implementations have increasingly relied on space-based observations, SBF remains effective when applied to ground-based data. In particular, deep, wide-field imaging surveys with sub-arcsecond seeing conditions allows us for accurate SBF measurements across large samples of galaxies. With the upcoming next generation wide-area imaging surveys, the thousands of galaxies suitable for SBF measurements will give us the opportunity to constrain the 3D structure of the local universe. We present FAST-SBF, a new Python-based pipeline for measuring SBF, developed to support the analysis of large datasets from upcoming wide-field imaging surveys such as LSST, Euclid, and Roman. The procedure, still in the testing and development stage, is designed for automation and minimal user intervention, offering a fast and flexible approach to SBF distance estimation. We validate the performance of the procedure on high-quality imaging data from the Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program (HSC-SSP), a precursor to LSST, analyzing a sample of both luminous early-type galaxies and fainter dwarfs. Our measurements are also compared with recent results from the Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey (NGVS) and with the SPoT stellar population synthesis models. The results show excellent agreement with published distances, with the capability of measuring the SBF signal also for faint dwarf galaxies. The pipeline allows the user to completely analyze a galaxy in relatively short time ($\approx$ minutes) and significantly reduces the need for user intervention. reduces at minimum the user intervention. The FAST-SBF tool is planned for public release to support the community in using SBF as a distance indicator in next-generation surveys.

References in corpus (43)

• SciPy 1.0--Fundamental Algorithms for Scientific Computing in Python
• Array Programming with NumPy
• Measuring Reddening with SDSS Stellar Spectra and Recalibrating SFD
• PARSEC: stellar tracks and isochrones with the PAdova and TRieste Stellar Evolution Code
• LSST: from Science Drivers to Reference Design and Anticipated Data Products
• A Comprehensive Measurement of the Local Value of the Hubble Constant with 1 km/s/Mpc Uncertainty from the Hubble Space Telescope and the SH0ES Team
• The SBF Survey of Galaxy Distances. IV. SBF Magnitudes, Colors, and Distances
• HyperLEDA. III. The catalogue of extragalactic distances
• The Universal Stellar Mass-Stellar Metallicity Relation for Dwarf Galaxies
• The ACS Virgo Cluster Survey. XIII. SBF Distance Catalog and the Three-Dimensional Structure of the Virgo Cluster
• The ACS Fornax Cluster Survey. V. Measurement and Recalibration of Surface Brightness Fluctuations and a Precise Value of the Fornax--Virgo Relative Distance
• Shapes and Shears, Stars and Smears: Optimal Measurements for Weak Lensing
• Second Data Release of the Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program
• The Star Formation Histories of Local Group Dwarf Galaxies I. Hubble Space Telescope / Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 Observations
• The Atlas3D project -- XXIX. The new look of early-type galaxies and surrounding fields disclosed by extremely deep optical images
• Third Data Release of the Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program
• The Updated BaSTI Stellar Evolution Models and Isochrones: I. Solar Scaled Calculations
• Galaxy Groups within 3500 km s${}^{-1}$
• The SBF Survey of Galaxy Distances. I. Sample Selection, Photometric Calibration, and the Hubble Constant
• The updated BaSTI stellar evolution models and isochrones: II. alpha-enhanced calculations
• The Hubble Constant from Infrared Surface Brightness Fluctuation Distances
• The ACS Fornax Cluster Survey. VIII. The Luminosity Function of Globular Clusters in Virgo and Fornax Early-Type Galaxies and its Use as a Distance Indicator
• The Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey. VIII. The Spatial Distribution of Globular Clusters in the Virgo Cluster
• The Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey (NGVS). XVIII. Measurement and Calibration of Surface Brightness Fluctuation Distances for Bright Galaxies in Virgo (and Beyond)
• Stellar Populations and Surface Brightness Fluctuations: New Observations and Models
• The ACS Virgo Cluster Survey II. Data Reduction Procedures
• New Optical and Near-Infrared Surface Brightness Fluctuations Models. II. Young and Intermediate Age Stellar Populations
• Structural Parameters for Globular Clusters in NGC 5128
• Detection of Radial Surface Brightness Fluctuation and Color Gradients in elliptical galaxies with ACS
• New optical and near-infrared Surface Brightness Fluctuations models. A primary distance indicator ranging from Globular Clusters to distant galaxies?
• The ACS Virgo Cluster Survey IV: Data Reduction Procedures for Surface Brightness Fluctuation Measurements with the Advanced Camera for Surveys
• Structure and morphology of the MATLAS dwarf galaxies and their central nuclei
• Distances from Surface Brightness Fluctuations
• Surface Brightness Fluctuations from archival ACS images: a stellar population and distance study
• Joint Analysis of near-infrared properties and surface brightness fluctuations of LMC star clusters
• Infrared Surface Brightness Fluctuation Distances for MASSIVE and Type Ia Supernova Host Galaxies
• Predicted HST FOC and broad band colours for young and intermediate Simple Stellar Populations
• Measuring Infrared Surface Brightness Fluctuation Distances with HST WFC3: Calibration and Advice
• Virgo Filaments II: Catalog and First Results on the Effect of Filaments on galaxy properties
• The TRGB-SBF Project. III. Refining the HST Surface Brightness Fluctuation Distance Scale Calibration with JWST
• Calibration of Surface Brightness Fluctuations for Dwarf Galaxies in the Hyper Suprime-Cam $gi$ Filter System
• Surface Brightness Fluctuation spectra to constrain stellar population properties
• Modelling of surface brightness fluctuation measurements: Methodology, uncertainty, and recommendations