Before the Phillips relation can give a distance

PHYSICS · Multi-part · Fermi University Physics · Astrophysics & Cosmology · Observational foundations and instrumentation · Stellar death and compact objects

Stars from the Inside, Ch Stellar explosions: core collapse, the neutrino-driven shock, radioactive light and remnants

Problem

Before the Phillips relation can give a distance, its zero point M0M_0 has to be fixed on a nearby calibrator. A Type Ia supernova in a galaxy whose distance is independently known to be 16.0 Mpc16.0\,\mathrm{Mpc} peaks at apparent magnitude mB=11.9m_B = 11.9 and declines by Δm15(B)=1.35 mag\Delta m_{15}(B) = 1.35\,\mathrm{mag} in the fifteen days after peak. Take the Phillips relation in the form MBmax=M0+0.8[Δm15(B)−1.1].M_B^{\rm max} = M_0 + 0.8\left[\Delta m_{15}(B) - 1.1\right]. ((a)) Find the distance modulus of the host galaxy and the supernova's peak absolute magnitude MBmaxM_B^{\rm max}. ((b)) Find the zero point M0M_0 this calibrator implies.

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