TY - JOUR
T1 - Single stellar populations in the near-infrared
T2 - I. Preparation of the IRTF spectral stellar library
AU - Meneses-Goytia, S.
AU - Peletier, R. F.
AU - Trager, S. C.
AU - Falcón-Barroso, J.
AU - Koleva, M.
AU - Vazdekis, A.
PY - 2015/10/15
Y1 - 2015/10/15
N2 - We present a detailed study of the stars of the NASA InfraRed Telescope Facility (IRTF) spectral library to understand its full extent and reliability for use with stellar population (SP) modeling. The library consist of 210 stars, with a total of 292 spectra, covering the wavelength range of 0.94 to 2.41 μm at a resolution R ≈ 2000. For every star we infer the effective temperature (Teff), gravity (log g) and metallicity ([Z/Z⊙]) using a full-spectrum fitting approach in a section of the K-band (2.19 to 2.34 μm) and temperature-NIR colour relations. We test the flux calibration of these stars by calculating their integrated colours and comparing them with the Pickles library colour-temperature relations. We also investigate the NIR colours as a function of the calculated effective temperature and compared them in colour-colour diagrams with the Pickles library. This latter test shows a good broad-band flux calibration, important for the SP models. Finally, we measure the resolution R as a function of wavelength. We find that the resolution increases as a function of lambda from about 6 Å in J to 10 Å in the red part of the K-band. With these tests we establish that the IRTF library, the largest currently available general library of stars at intermediate resolution in the NIR, is an excellent candidate to be used in stellar population models. We present these models in the next paper of this series.
AB - We present a detailed study of the stars of the NASA InfraRed Telescope Facility (IRTF) spectral library to understand its full extent and reliability for use with stellar population (SP) modeling. The library consist of 210 stars, with a total of 292 spectra, covering the wavelength range of 0.94 to 2.41 μm at a resolution R ≈ 2000. For every star we infer the effective temperature (Teff), gravity (log g) and metallicity ([Z/Z⊙]) using a full-spectrum fitting approach in a section of the K-band (2.19 to 2.34 μm) and temperature-NIR colour relations. We test the flux calibration of these stars by calculating their integrated colours and comparing them with the Pickles library colour-temperature relations. We also investigate the NIR colours as a function of the calculated effective temperature and compared them in colour-colour diagrams with the Pickles library. This latter test shows a good broad-band flux calibration, important for the SP models. Finally, we measure the resolution R as a function of wavelength. We find that the resolution increases as a function of lambda from about 6 Å in J to 10 Å in the red part of the K-band. With these tests we establish that the IRTF library, the largest currently available general library of stars at intermediate resolution in the NIR, is an excellent candidate to be used in stellar population models. We present these models in the next paper of this series.
KW - infrared: stars
KW - stars: fundamental parameters
KW - catalogs
KW - methods: data anaylsis
KW - techniques: spectroscopic
KW - stars: kinematics and dynamics
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84945129281&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1051/0004-6361/201423837
DO - 10.1051/0004-6361/201423837
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84945129281
SN - 0004-6361
VL - 582
JO - Astronomy and Astrophysics
JF - Astronomy and Astrophysics
M1 - A96
ER -