A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal

Planetary nebulae as tracers of stellar population properties: a pilot study with MUSE




AuthorsEnnis, Ana Inés; Hartke, Johanna; Bian, Fuyan; Pulsoni, Claudia; Spiniello, Chiara; Arnaboldi, Magda; de Propris, Roberto

PublisherOxford University Press

Publication year2025

Journal: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

Article numberstaf2036

Volume545

Issue2

ISSN0035-8711

eISSN1365-2966

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/staf2036

Publication's open availability at the time of reportingOpen Access

Publication channel's open availability Open Access publication channel

Web address https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/staf2036

Self-archived copy’s web addresshttps://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/508426179

Self-archived copy's licenceCC BY

Self-archived copy's versionPublisher`s PDF


Abstract

Planetary nebulae (PNe) are the only single stars in galaxies outside the Local Group that can be used as kinematic tracers of the diffuse light in the extended halo. Analysing their luminosity-specific number density across galaxies of different morphologies has also shown hints that they may be used as tracers of the age and metallicity of stellar populations. A proper understanding of this relation has been hindered by the fact that simultaneously detecting PNe and accurately measuring stellar properties is extremely difficult using classical narrow-band imaging methods, which cannot detect PNe in the bright centres of galaxies. In this work, we use integral-field spectroscopy to overcome this challenge, analysing the inner regions of a sample of 10 early-type galaxies from the Extended Planetary Nebulae Survey (ePN.S) for which archival MUSE data were available. With the Diffuse Emission-Line Filter (DELF) technique, we automate the detection of PNe, and perform spectral fitting on the diffuse light to infer kinematics and stellar population parameters. We compare the PN number density profile and its associated α-parameter with multiple properties of the host galaxies. We find that our sample follows the previously observationally constrained correlation with the metallicity of the host galaxy. We find a weak anticorrelation between the α-parameter and the far-ultraviolet excess, highlighting the possible relation between the visibility lifetime of PNe on the spectral energy distribution of their host galaxies, with fewer PNe detected in association with stellar populations characterized by an ultraviolet excess.


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Funding information in the publication
This research was supported in part by Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. Research at Perimeter Institute is supported by the Government of Canada through the Department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and by the Province of Ontario through the Ministry of Research and Innovation. AE and JH acknowledge the financial support from the visitor programme of the Finnish Centre for Astronomy with ESO (FINCA), funded by the Academy of Finland grant no. 306531.


Last updated on 22/01/2026 11:44:52 AM