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Measurements of the Hubble Constant with a Two-rung Distance Ladder: Two out of Three Ain't Bad

Publication ,  Journal Article
Kenworthy, WDA; Riess, AG; Scolnic, D; Yuan, W; Luis Bernal, J; Brout, D; Casertano, S; Jones, DO; Macri, L; Peterson, ER
Published in: Astrophysical Journal
August 1, 2022

The three-rung distance ladder, which calibrates Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) through stellar distances linked to geometric measurements, provides the highest precision direct measurement of the Hubble constant. In light of the Hubble tension, it is important to test the individual components of the distance ladder. For this purpose, we report a measurement of the Hubble constant from 35 extragalactic Cepheid hosts measured by the SH0ES team, using their distances and redshifts at cz ≤ 3300 km s-1, instead of any more distant SNe Ia, to measure the Hubble flow. The Cepheid distances are calibrated geometrically in the Milky Way, NGC 4258, and the Large Magellanic Cloud. Peculiar velocities are a significant source of systematic uncertainty at z ∼0.01, and we present a formalism for both mitigating and quantifying their effects, making use of external reconstructions of the density and velocity fields in the nearby universe. We identify a significant source of uncertainty originating from different assumptions about the selection criteria of this sample, whether distance or redshift limited, as it was assembled over three decades. Modeling these assumptions yields central values ranging from H 0 = 71.7 to 76.4 km s-1 Mpc-1. Combining the four best-fitting selection models yields H0=72.9-2.2+2.4 as a fiducial result, at 2.4σ tension with Planck. While SNe Ia are essential for a precise measurement of H 0, unknown systematics in these supernovae are unlikely to be the source of the Hubble tension.

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Published In

Astrophysical Journal

DOI

EISSN

1538-4357

ISSN

0004-637X

Publication Date

August 1, 2022

Volume

935

Issue

2

Related Subject Headings

  • Astronomy & Astrophysics
  • 5109 Space sciences
  • 5107 Particle and high energy physics
  • 5101 Astronomical sciences
  • 0306 Physical Chemistry (incl. Structural)
  • 0202 Atomic, Molecular, Nuclear, Particle and Plasma Physics
  • 0201 Astronomical and Space Sciences
 

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Kenworthy, W. D. A., Riess, A. G., Scolnic, D., Yuan, W., Luis Bernal, J., Brout, D., … Peterson, E. R. (2022). Measurements of the Hubble Constant with a Two-rung Distance Ladder: Two out of Three Ain't Bad. Astrophysical Journal, 935(2). https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ac80bd
Kenworthy, W. D. A., A. G. Riess, D. Scolnic, W. Yuan, J. Luis Bernal, D. Brout, S. Casertano, D. O. Jones, L. Macri, and E. R. Peterson. “Measurements of the Hubble Constant with a Two-rung Distance Ladder: Two out of Three Ain't Bad.” Astrophysical Journal 935, no. 2 (August 1, 2022). https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ac80bd.
Kenworthy WDA, Riess AG, Scolnic D, Yuan W, Luis Bernal J, Brout D, et al. Measurements of the Hubble Constant with a Two-rung Distance Ladder: Two out of Three Ain't Bad. Astrophysical Journal. 2022 Aug 1;935(2).
Kenworthy, W. D. A., et al. “Measurements of the Hubble Constant with a Two-rung Distance Ladder: Two out of Three Ain't Bad.” Astrophysical Journal, vol. 935, no. 2, Aug. 2022. Scopus, doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ac80bd.
Kenworthy WDA, Riess AG, Scolnic D, Yuan W, Luis Bernal J, Brout D, Casertano S, Jones DO, Macri L, Peterson ER. Measurements of the Hubble Constant with a Two-rung Distance Ladder: Two out of Three Ain't Bad. Astrophysical Journal. 2022 Aug 1;935(2).
Journal cover image

Published In

Astrophysical Journal

DOI

EISSN

1538-4357

ISSN

0004-637X

Publication Date

August 1, 2022

Volume

935

Issue

2

Related Subject Headings

  • Astronomy & Astrophysics
  • 5109 Space sciences
  • 5107 Particle and high energy physics
  • 5101 Astronomical sciences
  • 0306 Physical Chemistry (incl. Structural)
  • 0202 Atomic, Molecular, Nuclear, Particle and Plasma Physics
  • 0201 Astronomical and Space Sciences