Document Type
Article
Publication Date
9-19-2014
Abstract
We combine Spitzer 3.6 μm observations of a sample of disk galaxies spanning over 10 mag in luminosity with optical luminosities and colors to test population synthesis prescriptions for computing stellar mass. Many commonly employed models fail to provide self-consistent results: the stellar mass estimated from the luminosity in one band can differ grossly from that of another band for the same galaxy. Independent models agree closely in the optical (V band), but diverge at longer wavelengths. This effect is particularly pronounced in recent models with substantial contributions from TP-AGB stars. We provide revised color-mass-to-light ratio relations that yield self-consistent stellar masses when applied to real galaxies. The B - V color is a good indicator of the mass-to-light ratio. Some additional information is provided by V - I, but neither it nor J - Ks are particularly useful for constraining the mass-to-light ratio on their own. In the near-infrared, the mass-to-light ratio depends weakly on color, with typical values of 0.6 M⊙/L⊙ in the Ks band and 0.47 M⊙/L⊙ at 3.6 μm.
Keywords
galaxies: evolution, galaxies: fundamental parameters, galaxies: photometry, galaxies: stellar content
Publication Title
Astronomical Journal
Grant
AST 0908370
Rights
© The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved. This content is free to access, download, and share. For all other uses, you must obtain permission to reuse content: https://journals.aas.org/article-charges-and-copyright/#AAS_material
Recommended Citation
Color-Mass-to-Light-Ratio Relations for Disk Galaxies. Stacy S. McGaugh and James M. Schombert 2014 AJ 148 77
Manuscript Version
Final Publisher Version