Bibcode
DOI
Ford, H.; Capaccioli, M.; Hopp, U.; Kudritzki, R. P.; Arnaboldi, M.; Freeman, K. C.; Guerrero, M. A.; Mendez, R. H.
Bibliographical reference
Astrophysical Journal Letters v.491, p.L23
Advertised on:
12
1997
Citations
53
Refereed citations
33
Description
We surveyed a 50 arcmin 2 region in the Virgo cluster core to
search for intergalactic planetary nebulae and found 11 candidates in
the surveyed area. The measured fluxes of these unresolved sources are
consistent with these objects being planetary nebulae from an
intergalactic population of stars, although we cannot exclude some minor
contamination of our sample by redshifted starburst galaxies. We compute
the cumulative luminosity function of these 11 planetary nebula
candidates. If we assume that they belong to the Virgo cluster, their
cumulative luminosity function is in good agreement with planetary
nebula luminosity-function simulations for a typical stellar population
of ellipticals or spiral bulges. This comparison allows us to estimate
the surface mass density of the intergalactic stellar population at the
surveyed field in the cluster core.