RRLFE: software for generating and applying metallicity calibrations for RR Lyrae variable stars across a wide range of phases and temperatures

Abstract

RR Lyrae stars play a central role in tracing phase-space structures within the Milky Way because they are easy to identify, are relatively luminous, and are found in large numbers in the Galactic bulge, disc, and halo. In this work, we present a new set of spectroscopic metallicity calibrations that use the equivalent widths of the Ca II K and Balmer H γ and H δ lines to calculate metallicity values from low-resolution spectra. This builds on an earlier calibration from Layden by extending the range of equivalent widths which map between Ca II K and the Balmer lines. We have developed the software RRLFE to apply this calibration to spectra in a consistent, reproducible, and extensible manner. This software is open-source and available to the community. The calibration can be updated with additional data sets in the future.