Abstract
The VISTA Magellanic Cloud (VMC; PI: M.-R. L. Cioni) survey is collecting deep K
s-band time series photometry of the pulsating variable stars hosted by the system formed by the two ...Magellanic Clouds (MCs) and the bridge connecting them. In this paper, we present the first results for classical Cepheids, from the VMC observations of two fields in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), centred on the South Ecliptic Pole and the 30 Doradus star-forming regions, respectively. The VMC K
s-band light curves of the Cepheids are well sampled (12 epochs) and of excellent precision (typical errors of ∼0.01 mag). We were able to measure for the first time the K
s magnitude of the faintest classical Cepheids in the LMC (K
s ∼ 17.5 mag), which are mostly pulsating in the first overtone (FO) mode, and to obtain FO period-luminosity (PL), period-Wesenheit (PW) and period-luminosity-colour (PLC) relations, spanning the full period range from 0.25 to 6 d. Since the longest period Cepheid in our data set has a variability period of 23 d, we have complemented our sample with literature data for brighter F Cepheids. On this basis, we have built a PL relation in the K
s band that, for the first time, includes short-period - hence low-luminosity - pulsators, and spans the full range from 1.6 to 100 d in period.We also provide the first ever empirical PW and PLC relations using the (V − K
s) colour and time series K
s photometry. The very small dispersion (∼0.07 mag) of these relations makes them very well suited to study the three-dimensional geometry of the Magellanic system. The use of 'direct' (parallax- and Baade-Wesselink-based) distance measurements to both Galactic and LMC Cepheids allowed us to calibrate the zero-points of the PL, PW and PLC relations obtained in this paper, and in turn to estimate an absolute distance modulus of (m − M)0 = 18.46 ± 0.03 mag for the LMC. This result is in agreement with most of the latest literature determinations based on classical Cepheids.
ABSTRACT The "VISTA near-infrared YJKs survey of the Magellanic Clouds System" (VMC) is collecting deep Ks-band time-series photometry of pulsating variable stars hosted by the two Magellanic Clouds ...and their connecting Bridge. In this paper, we present Y, J, Ks light curves for a sample of 4172 Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) Classical Cepheids (CCs). These data, complemented with literature V values, allowed us to construct a variety of period-luminosity (PL), period-luminosity-color (PLC), and period-Wesenheit (PW) relationships, which are valid for Fundamental (F), First Overtone (FO), and Second Overtone (SO) pulsators. The relations involving the V, J, Ks bands are in agreement with their counterparts in the literature. As for the Y band, to our knowledge, we present the first CC PL, PW, and PLC relations ever derived using this filter. We also present the first near-infrared PL, PW, and PLC relations for SO pulsators to date. We used PW(V, Ks) to estimate the relative SMC-LMC distance and, in turn, the absolute distance to the SMC. For the former quantity, we find a value of Δμ = 0.55 ± 0.04 mag, which is in rather good agreement with other evaluations based on CCs, but significantly larger than the results obtained from older population II distance indicators. This discrepancy might be due to the different geometric distributions of young and old tracers in both Clouds. As for the absolute distance to the SMC, our best estimates are μSMC = 19.01 ± 0.05 mag and μSMC = 19.04 ± 0.06 mag, based on two distance measurements to the LMC which rely on accurate CC and eclipsing Cepheid binary data, respectively.
Type II and anomalous Cepheids (ACs) are useful distance indicators when there are too few classical Cepheids or when RR Lyrae stars are too faint. Type II and ACs follow a period-luminosity relation ...as well, but they are less well-studied classes of objects. In this paper we study the sample of 335 Type II and ACs in the Small and Large Magellanic Clouds detected in OGLE-III data. The spectral energy distributions (SEDs) are constructed from photometric data available in the literature and fitted with a dust radiative transfer model, thereby leading to a determination of luminosity and effective temperature. In addition, a subsample of targets is investigated for possible binarity by looking for the light-time travel effect (LITE). Hertzsprung-Russell diagrams (HRD) are constructed and compared to evolutionary tracks and theoretical instability strips (ISs). In agreement with previous suggestions, the BL Her subclass can be explained by the evolution of ~0.5–0.6 M⊙ stars evolving off the zero-age horizontal branch and the ACs can be explained by the evolution of ~1.1–2.3 M⊙ stars. The evolution of the W Vir subclass is not clear. These objects are at higher luminosities than ACs and evolutionary tracks of ~2.5–4 M⊙ stars cross this region in the HRD, but the periods of the W Vir are longer than those of the short period classical Cepheids at these luminosities, which indicates the former have lower masses. A low-mass star experiencing a thermal pulse when the envelope mass is small can make a blue loop into the IS region of the W Vir stars. But the timescale is extremely short, so this is also no explanation for the W Vir as a class. A relation to binarity might be at the origin of the W Vir stars, which has already been explicitly suggested for the peculiar W Vir stars. For ~ 60% of the RV Tau and ~ 10% of the W Vir objects an infrared excess is detected from the SED fitting. A recent result is confirmed that stars exist with luminosities below that predicted from single-star evolution, which show a clear infrared excess, and the shape of the excess suggests a connection to binary evolution. The investigation of the LITE effect revealed 20 systems that appear to show periodic variations and may be new binaries, although this study requires follow-up. About 40 stars show significant period changes.
Context. Mass loss is one of the fundamental properties of Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars, and through the enrichment of the interstellar medium, AGB stars are key players in the life cycle of ...dust and gas in the universe. However, a quantitative understanding of the mass-loss process is still largely lacking, particularly its dependence on metallicity. Aims. To investigate the relation between mass loss, luminosity and pulsation period for a large sample of evolved stars in the Small and Large Magellanic Cloud. Methods. Dust radiative transfer models are presented for 101 carbon stars and 86 oxygen-rich evolved stars in the Magellanic Clouds for which 5–35 μm Spitzer IRS spectra are available. The spectra are complemented with available optical and infrared photometry to construct the spectral energy distribution. A minimisation procedure is used to fit luminosity, mass-loss rate and dust temperature at the inner radius. Different effective temperatures and dust content are also considered. Periods from the literature and from new OGLE-III data are compiled and derived. Results. We derive (dust) mass-loss rates and luminosities for the entire sample. Based on luminosities, periods and amplitudes and colours, the O-rich stars are classified as foreground objects, AGB stars and Red Super Giants. For the O-rich stars silicates based on laboratory optical constants are compared to “astronomical silicates”. Overall, the grain type by Volk & Kwok (1988, ApJ, 331, 435) fits the data best. However, the fit based on laboratory optical constants for the grains can be improved by abandoning the small-particle limit. The influence of grain size, core-mantle grains and porosity are explored. A computationally convenient method that seems to describe the observed properties in the 10 μm window are a distribution of hollow spheres with a large vacuum fraction (typically 70%), and grain size of about 1 μm. Relations between mass-loss rates and luminosity and pulsation period are presented and compared to the predictions of evolutionary models, those by Vassiliadis & Wood (1993, ApJ, 413, 641) and their adopted mass-loss recipe, and those based on a Reimers mass-loss law with a scaling of a factor of five. The Vassiliadis & Wood models describe the data better, although there are also some deficiencies, in particular to the maximum adopted mass-loss rate. The derived mass-loss rates are compared to predictions by dynamical wind models and appear consistent with them at a level of a factor 2–4. A better understanding requires the determination of the expansion velocity from future observations from ALMA. The OGLE-III data reveal an O-rich star in the SMC with a period of 1749 days. Its absolute magnitude of $M_{\rm bol}= -8.0$ makes it a good candidate for a super-AGB star.
The VISTA near-infrared YJK
s survey of the Magellanic Clouds System (VMC, PI M.-R. L. Cioni) is collecting deep K
s-band time-series photometry of the pulsating variable stars hosted in the system ...formed by the two Magellanic Clouds and the Bridge connecting them. In this paper, we present for the first time K
s-band light curves for anomalous Cepheid (AC) variables. In particular, we have analysed a sample of 48 Large Magellanic Cloud ACs, for which identification and optical magnitudes were obtained from the OGLE III and IV catalogues. The VMC K
s-band light curves for ACs are well sampled, with the number of epochs ranging from 8 to 16, and allowing us to obtain very precise mean K
s magnitudes with errors on average of the order of 0.01 mag. The 〈K
s〉 values were used to build the first period-luminosity and period-Wesenheit relations in the near-infrared for fundamental mode and first overtone ACs. At the same time we exploited the optical (V, I) OGLE data to build accurate period-luminosity, period-luminosity-colour and period-Wesenheit relations both for fundamental mode and first overtone ACs. For the first time, these relations were derived from a sample of pulsators which uniformly cover the whole AC instability strip. The application of the optical period-Wesenheit relation to a sample of dwarf galaxies hosting a significant population of ACs revealed that this relation is a valuable tool for deriving distances within the Local Group. Due to its lower dispersion, we expect the K
s period-Wesenheit relations first derived in this paper to represent a valuable tool for measuring accurate distances to galaxies hosting ACs when more data in near-infrared filters become available.
Abstract
The VISTA near-infrared YJK
s survey of the Magellanic System (VMC) is collecting deep K
s-band time-series photometry of pulsating stars hosted by the two Magellanic Clouds and their ...connecting bridge. Here, we present Y, J, K
s light curves for a sample of 717 Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) Classical Cepheids (CCs). These data, complemented with our previous results and V magnitude from literature, allowed us to construct a variety of period–luminosity and period–Wesenheit relationships, valid for Fundamental, First and Second Overtone pulsators. These relations provide accurate individual distances to CCs in the SMC over an area of more than 40 deg2. Adopting literature relations, we estimated ages and metallicities for the majority of the investigated pulsators, finding that (i) the age distribution is bimodal, with two peaks at 120 ± 10 and 220 ± 10 Myr; (i) the more metal-rich CCs appear to be located closer to the centre of the galaxy. Our results show that the three-dimensional distribution of the CCs in the SMC is not planar but heavily elongated for more than 25–30 kpc approximately in the east/north-east towards south-west direction. The young and old CCs in the SMC show a different geometric distribution. Our data support the current theoretical scenario predicting a close encounter or a direct collision between the Clouds some 200 Myr ago and confirm the presence of a Counter-Bridge predicted by some models. The high-precision three-dimensional distribution of young stars presented in this paper provides a new test bed for future models exploring the formation and evolution of the Magellanic System.
With the advent of space missions, like SPITZER and ASTRO-F, with sensitive detectors in the near- and mid-infra red covering a reasonable field-of-view and having a good spatial resolution, it will ...be possible to detect individual AGB stars in Local Group galaxies. The filters used by these missions are non-standard and different from mission to mission. In this paper, the colours of mass-losing AGB and post-AGB stars are calculated in the broad-band filters of the SPITZER and ASTRO-F missions, as well as Bessell $V,I$ and 2MASS $J,H,K$ to connect these results to existing ground-based data. The models are calculated for carbon- and oxygen-rich chemistry and cover different effective temperatures and dust compositions.
SMC-Last Extracted Photometry Kuchar, T. A.; Sloan, G. C.; Mizuno, D. R. ...
The Astronomical journal,
04/2024, Letnik:
167, Številka:
4
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Abstract We present point-source photometry from the Spitzer Space Telescope's final survey of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). We mapped nearly 30 deg 2 in two epochs in 2017, with the second ...extending to early 2018 at 3.6 and 4.5 μ m using the Infrared Array Camera. This survey duplicates the footprint from the SAGE-SMC program in 2008. Together, these surveys cover a nearly 10 yr temporal baseline in the SMC. We performed aperture photometry on the mosaicked maps produced from the new data. We did not use any prior catalogs as inputs for the extractor in order to be sensitive to any moving objects (e.g., foreground brown dwarfs) and other transient phenomena (e.g., cataclysmic variables or FU Ori–type eruptions). We produced a point-source catalog with high-confidence sources for each epoch as well as a combined-epoch catalog. For each epoch and the combined-epoch data, we also produced a more complete archive with lower-confidence sources. All of these data products will be made available to the community at the Infrared Science Archive.
Context. For stars with initial masses below ~1 M⊙, the mass loss during the first red giant branch (RGB) phase dominates mass loss in the later asymptotic giant branch (AGB) phase. Nevertheless, ...mass loss on the RGB is still often parameterised by a simple Reimers law in stellar evolution models. Aims. To try to detect CO thermal emission in a small sample of nearby RGB stars with reliable Hipparcos parallaxes that were shown to have infrared excess in an earlier paper. Methods. A sample of five stars was observed in the CO J = 2−1 and J = 3−2 lines with the IRAM and APEX telescopes. Results. One star, the one with the largest mass-loss rate based on the previous analysis of the spectral energy distribution, was detected. The expansion velocity is unexpectedly large at 12 km s-1. The line profile and intensity are compared to the predictions from a molecular line emission code. The standard model predicts a double-peaked profile, while the observations indicate a flatter profile. A model that does fit the data has a much smaller CO envelope (by a factor of 3), and a CO abundance that is two times larger and/or a larger mass-loss rate than the standard model. This could indicate that the phase of large mass loss has only recently started. Conclusions. The detection of CO in an RGB star with a luminosity of only ~1300 L⊙ and a mass-loss rate as low as a few 10-9M⊙ yr-1 is important and the results also raise new questions. However, ALMA observations are required in order to study the mass-loss process of RGB stars in more detail, both for reasons of sensitivity (6 h of integration in superior weather at IRAM were needed to get a 4σ detection in the object with the largest detection probability), and spatial resolution (to determine the size of the CO envelope).
The flux-weighted gravity-luminosity relation (FWGLR) is investigated for a sample of 477 classical Cepheids (CCs), including stars that have been classified in the literature as such but are ...probably not. The luminosities are taken from the literature, based on the fitting of the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) assuming a certain distance and reddening. The flux-weighted gravity (FWG) is taken from gravity and effective temperature determinations in the literature based on high-resolution spectroscopy. There is a very good agreement between the theoretically predicted and observed FWG versus pulsation period relation that could serve in estimating the FWG (and log
g
) in spectroscopic studies with a precision of 0.1 dex. As was known in the literature, the theoretically predicted FWGLR relation for CCs is very tight and is not very sensitive to metallicity (at least for LMC and solar values), rotation rate, and crossing of the instability strip. The observed relation has a slightly different slope and shows more scatter (0.54 dex). This is due both to uncertainties in the distances and to the pulsation phase averaged FWG values. Data from future
Gaia
data releases should reduce these errors, and then the FWGLR could serve as a powerful tool in Cepheid studies.
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