No Arabic abstract
We first discuss why the uncomfortable fine-tuning of the parameters of the Lambda-CDM cosmological model provides continuing, strong motivation to investigate Hubbles Constant. Then we review evidence from the HST Key Project that there is a significant scale error between raw Cepheid and Tully-Fisher distances. An analysis of mainly HST Distance Scale Key Project data shows a correlation between host galaxy metallicity and the rms scatter around the Cepheid P-L relation, which may support a recent suggestion that the P-L metallicity dependence is stronger than expected. If Cepheids do have a significant metallicity dependence then the Tully-Fisher scale error increases and the distances of the Virgo and Fornax clusters extend to more than 20Mpc, decreasing the value of Ho. Finally, if the Cepheids have a metallicity dependence then so do Type Ia Supernovae since the metallicity corrected Cepheid distances to eight galaxies with SNIa would then suggest that the SNIa peak luminosity is fainter in metal poor galaxies, with important implications for SNIa estimates of qo as well as Ho.
This paper involves a data release of the observational campaign: Cosmicflows with Spitzer (CFS). Surface photometry of the 1270 galaxies constituting the survey is presented. An additional ~ 400 galaxies from various other Spitzer surveys are also analyzed. CFS complements the Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies, that provides photometry for an additional 2352 galaxies, by extending observations to low galactic latitudes (|b|<30 degrees). Among these galaxies are calibrators, selected in K band, of the Tully-Fisher relation. The addition of new calibrators demonstrate the robustness of the previously released calibration. Our estimate of the Hubble constant using supernova host galaxies is unchanged, H0 = 75.2 +/- 3.3 km/s/Mpc. Distance-derived radial peculiar velocities, for the 1935 galaxies with all the available parameters, will be incorporated into a new data release of the Cosmicflows project. The size of the previous catalog will be increased by 20%, including spatial regions close to the Zone of Avoidance.
We present the distances of 9792 spiral galaxies lying within 15,000 km/s using the relation between luminosity and rotation rate of spiral galaxies. The sample is dominantly, but not exclusively, drawn from galaxies detected in the course of the ALFALFA HI survey with the Arecibo Telescope. Relations between hi line widths and luminosity are calibrated at SDSS u, g, r, i, z bands and WISE W1 and W2 bands. By exploiting secondary parameters, particularly color indices, we address discrepancies between measured distances at different wave bands with unprecedented detail. We provide a catalog that includes reduced kinematic, photometric, and inclination parameters. We also describe a machine learning algorithm, based on the random forest technique that predicts the dust attenuation in spirals lacking infrared photometry. We determine a Hubble Constant value of H0 = 75.1+-0.2 (stat.), with potential systematics up to +-3 km/s/Mpc.
We first discuss why there remains continuing, strong motivation to investigate Hubbles Constant. Then we review new evidence from an investigation of the Galactic Open Clusters containing Cepheids by Hoyle et al. that the metallicity dependence of the Cepheid P-L relation is stronger than expected. This result is supported by a new analysis of mainly HST Distance Scale Key Project data which shows a correlation between host galaxy metallicity and the rms scatter around the Cepheid P-L relation. If Cepheids do have a significant metallicity dependence then an already existing scale error for Tully-Fisher distances becomes worse and the distances of the Virgo and Fornax clusters extend to more than 20Mpc, decreasing the value of H_0. Finally, if the Cepheids have a metallicity dependence then so do Type Ia Supernovae since the metallicity corrected Cepheid distances to eight galaxies with SNIa now suggests that the SNIa peak luminosity is fainter in metal poor galaxies. As well as having important implications for H_0, this would also imply that the evidence for a non-zero cosmological constant from the SNIa Hubble Diagram may be subject to corrections for metallicity which are as big as the effects of cosmology.
We present Tully-Fisher distances for 24 AGN host galaxies with black hole mass ($M_textrm{{BH}}$) measurements from reverberation mapping, as well as the first calibration of the $V-$band Tully-Fisher relation. Combining our measurements of HI 21cm emission with $HST$ and ground-based optical and near-infrared images allows multiple distance measurements for 19 galaxies and single measurements for the remaining 5. Separation of the nucleus from its host galaxy via surface brightness decomposition yields galaxy-only luminosities, thus allowing measurements of the distance moduli free of contamination from the AGN. For 14 AGN hosts, these are the first reported distances independent of redshift, and hence independent of peculiar velocities. For the remaining galaxies, we show good agreement between our distances and those previously reported from surface brightness fluctuations (SBF) and Cepheids. We also determine the total galaxy mass enclosed within the estimated HI radius, which when compared to the baryonic content allows for constraints on the dark matter masses. We find a typical mass fraction of $M_{textrm{DM}}$/$M_{textrm{DYN}}$ = 62%, and find significant correlations between $M_{textrm{BH}}$ $-$ $M_{textrm{DYN}}$ and $M_{textrm{BH}}$ $-$ $M_{textrm{DM}}$. Finally, we scale our galaxy radii based on estimated relationships between visible and halo radii and assume a flat rotation curve out to the halo radius to approximate $M_{textrm{HALO}}$. Over the range of $M_{textrm{BH}}$ and $M_{textrm{HALO}}$ in this sample, we find good agreement with observationally-constrained relationships between $M_{textrm{BH}}$ and $M_{textrm{HALO}}$ and with hydrodynamical simulations.
The use of the Tully-Fisher (TF) relation for the determination of the Hubble Constant relies on the availability of an adequate template TF relation and of reliable primary distances. Here we use a TF template relation with the best available kinematical zero-point, obtained from a sample of 24 clusters of galaxies extending to cz ~ 9,000 km/s, and the most recent set of Cepheid distances for galaxies fit for TF use. The combination of these two ingredients yields H_not = 69+/-5 km/(s Mpc). The approach is significantly more accurate than the more common application with single cluster (e.g. Virgo, Coma) samples.