ABSTRACT We present a detailed investigation of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) disk using classical Cepheids. Our analysis is based on optical (I, V; OGLE-IV), near-infrared (NIR: J, H, ) and ...mid-infrared (MIR: w1; WISE) mean magnitudes. By adopting new templates to estimate the NIR mean magnitudes from single-epoch measurements, we build the currently most accurate, largest, and homogeneous multi-band data set of LMC Cepheids. We determine Cepheid individual distances using optical and NIR Period-Wesenheit relations (PWRs), to measure the geometry of the LMC disk and its viewing angles. Cepheid distances based on optical PWRs are precise at 3%, but accurate to 7%, while the ones based on NIR PWRs are more accurate (to 3%), but less precise (2%-15%), given the higher photometric error on the observed magnitudes. We found an inclination of i = 25.05 0.02 (stat.) 0.55 (syst.) deg, and a position angle of the lines of nodes P.A. = 150.76 0.02 (stat.) 0.07 (syst.) deg. These values agree well with estimates based either on young (Red Supergiants) or on intermediate-age (Asymptotic Giant Branch, Red Clump) stellar tracers, but they significantly differ from evaluations based on old (RR Lyrae) stellar tracers. This indicates that young/intermediate and old stellar populations have different spatial distributions. Finally, by using the reddening-law fitting approach, we provide a reddening map of the LMC disk, which is 10 times more accurate and 2 times larger than similar maps in the literature. We also found an LMC true distance modulus of (stat. and syst.) mag, in excellent agreement with the currently most accurate measurement.
We present homogeneous and accurate iron abundances for 42 Galactic Cepheids based on high resolution (R ~ 38 000) high signal-to-noise ratio (S/N ≥ 100) optical spectra collected with UVES at VLT ...(128 spectra). The above abundances were complemented with high-quality iron abundances provided either by our group (86) or available in the literature. We were careful to derive a common metallicity scale and ended up with a sample of 450 Cepheids. We also estimated accurate individual distances for the entire sample by using homogeneous near-infrared photometry and the reddening free period-Wesenheit relations. The new metallicity gradient is linear over a broad range of Galactocentric distances (RG ~ 5–19 kpc) and agrees quite well with similar estimates available in the literature (–0.060 ± 0.002 dex/kpc). We also uncover evidence that suggests that the residuals of the metallicity gradient are tightly correlated with candidate Cepheid groups (CGs). The candidate CGs have been identified as spatial overdensities of Cepheids located across the thin disk. They account for a significant fraction of the residual fluctuations, and also for the large intrinsic dispersion of the metallicity gradient. We performed a detailed comparison with metallicity gradients based on different tracers: OB stars and open clusters. We found very similar metallicity gradients for ages younger than 3 Gyr, while for older ages we found a shallower slope and an increase in the intrinsic spread. The above findings rely on homogeneous age, metallicity, and distance scales. Finally, by using a large sample of Galactic and Magellanic Cepheids for which accurate iron abundances are available, we found that the dependence of the luminosity amplitude on metallicity is vanishing.
Context. Cepheids are excellent tracers of young stellar populations. They play a crucial role in astrophysics as standard candles. The chemistry of classical Cepheids in the Milky Way is now quite ...well-known, however despite a much larger sample, the chemical composition of Magellanic Cepheids has been only scarcely investigated. Aims. For the first time, we study the chemical composition of several Cepheids located in the same populous cluster: NGC 1866, in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). To also investigate the chemical composition of Cepheids at lower metallicity, we look at four targets located in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). Our sample allows us to increase the number of Cepheids with known metallicities in the LMC/SMC by 20%/25% and the number of Cepheids with detailed chemical composition in the LMC/SMC by 46%/50%. Methods. We use canonical spectroscopic analysis to determine the chemical composition of Cepheids and provide abundances for a good number of α, iron-peak, and neutron-capture elements. Results. We find that six Cepheids in the LMC cluster NGC 1866 have a very homogeneous chemical composition, also consistent with red giant branch (RGB) stars in the cluster. Period–age relations that include no or average rotation indicate that all the Cepheids in NGC 1866 have a similar age and therefore belong to the same stellar population. Our results are in good agreement with theoretical models accounting for luminosity and radial velocity variations. Using distances based on period-luminosity relations in the near- or mid-infrared, we investigate for the first time the metallicity distribution of the young population in the SMC in the depth direction. Preliminary results show no metallicity gradient along the SMC main body, but our sample is small and does not contain Cepheids in the inner few degrees of the SMC.
Abstract
We collected the largest spectroscopic catalog of RR Lyrae (RRLs) including ≈20,000 high-, medium-, and low-resolution spectra for ≈10,000 RRLs. We provide the analytical forms of radial ...velocity curve (RVC) templates. These were built using 36 RRLs (31 fundamental—split into three period bins—and five first-overtone pulsators) with well-sampled RVCs based on three groups of metallic lines (Fe, Mg, Na) and four Balmer lines (H
α
, H
β
, H
γ
, H
δ
). We tackled the long-standing problem of the reference epoch to anchor light-curve and RVC templates. For the
V
-band, we found that the residuals of the templates anchored to the phase of the mean magnitude along the rising branch are ∼35% to ∼45% smaller than those anchored to the phase of maximum light. For the RVC, we used two independent reference epochs for metallic and Balmer lines and we verified that the residuals of the RVC templates anchored to the phase of mean RV are from 30% (metallic lines) up to 45% (Balmer lines) smaller than those anchored to the phase of minimum RV. We validated our RVC templates by using both the single-point and the three phase point approaches. We found that barycentric velocities based on our RVC templates are two to three times more accurate than those available in the literature. We applied the current RVC templates to Balmer lines RVs of RRLs in the globular NGC 3201 collected with MUSE at VLT. We found the cluster barycentric RV of
V
γ
= 496.89 ± 8.37(error) ± 3.43 (standard deviation) km s
−1
, which agrees well with literature estimates.
We determine the metallicity and detailed chemical abundances (α, iron-peak and neutron-capture elements) for the almost complete (18/24) sample of Galactic double mode Cepheids (also called beat ...Cepheids). Double mode Cepheids are Cepheids that pulsate in two modes simultaneously. We calibrate a new relation between their metallicity and their period ratio P
1/P
0. This linear relation allows to determine the metallicity of bimodal Cepheids with an accuracy of 0.03 dex in the range of Fe/H from +0.2 to −0.5 dex. By extrapolating the relation to Magellanic Clouds beat Cepheids, we provide their metallicity distribution function. Moreover, by using this relation, we also provide the first metallicity estimate for two double-mode F/1O Cepheids located in and beyond the Galactic bulge. Finally, we report the discovery of a super-Lithium rich double mode Cepheid V371 Per which has a Lithium abundance of logA(Li) = 3.54 ± 0.09 dex. Along with V1033 Cyg (which is an ordinary classical Cepheid), it is the second known Cepheid of such type in the Galaxy.
We present homogeneous and accurate iron abundances for almost four dozen (47) of Galactic Cepheids using high-spectral resolution (R ~ 40 000) high signal-to-noise ratio (S/N ≥ 100) optical spectra ...collected with UVES at VLT. A significant fraction of the sample (32) is located in the inner disk (RG ≤ 6.9 kpc) and for half of them we provide new iron abundances. Current findings indicate a steady increase in iron abundance when approaching the innermost regions of the thin disk. The metallicity is super-solar and ranges from 0.2 dex for RG ~ 6.5 kpc to 0.4 dex for RG ~ 5.5 kpc. Moreover, we do not find evidence of correlation between iron abundance and distance from the Galactic plane. We collected similar data available in the literature and ended up with a sample of 420 Cepheids. Current data suggest that the mean metallicity and the metallicity dispersion in the four quadrants of the Galactic disk attain similar values. The first-second quadrants show a more extended metal-poor tail, while the third-fourth quadrants show a more extended metal-rich tail, but the bulk of the sample is at solar iron abundance. Finally, we found a significant difference between the iron abundance of Cepheids located close to the edge of the inner disk (Fe/H ~ 0.4) and young stars located either along the Galactic bar or in the nuclear bulge (Fe/H ~ 0). Thus suggesting that the above regions have had different chemical enrichment histories. The same outcome applies to the metallicity gradient of the Galactic bulge, since mounting empirical evidence indicates that the mean metallicity increases when moving from the outer to the inner bulge regions.
Abstract
We present a new complete near-infrared (NIR,
JHK
s
) census of RR Lyrae stars (RRLs) in the globular
ω
Cen (NGC 5139). We collected 15,472
JHK
s
images with 4–8 m class telescopes over 15 ...years (2000–2015) covering a sky area around the cluster center of 60 × 34 arcmin
2
. These images provided calibrated photometry for 182 out of the 198 cluster RRL candidates with 10 to 60 measurements per band. We also provide new homogeneous estimates of the photometric amplitude for 180 (
J
), 176 (
H
) and 174 (
K
s
) RRLs. These data were supplemented with single-epoch
JK
s
magnitudes from VHS and with single-epoch
H
magnitudes from 2MASS. Using proprietary optical and NIR data together with new optical light curves (ASAS-SN) we also updated pulsation periods for 59 candidate RRLs. As a whole, we provide
JHK
s
magnitudes for 90 RRab (fundamentals), 103 RRc (first overtones) and one RRd (mixed-mode pulsator). We found that NIR/optical photometric amplitude ratios increase when moving from first overtone to fundamental and to long-period (
P
> 0.7 days) fundamental RRLs. Using predicted period–luminosity–metallicity relations, we derive a true distance modulus of 13.674 ± 0.008 ± 0.038 mag (statistical error and standard deviation of the median) based on spectroscopic iron abundances, and of 13.698 ± 0.004 ± 0.048 mag based on photometric iron abundances. We also found evidence of possible systematics at the 5%–10% level in the zero-point of the period–luminosity relations based on the five calibrating RRLs whose parallaxes had been determined with the
HST
.
We present the largest near-infrared (NIR) data sets, JHKs, ever collected for classical Cepheids in the Magellanic Clouds (MCs). We selected fundamental (FU) and first overtone (FO) pulsators, and ...found 4150 (2571 FU, 1579 FO) Cepheids for Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) and 3042 (1840 FU, 1202 FO) for Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). Current sample is 2-3 times larger than any sample used in previous investigations with NIR photometry. These are consistent with recent results from pulsation models and observations suggesting that the PW relations are minimally affected by the metal content. The new EU and FO PW relations were calibrated using a sample of Galactic Cepheids with distances based on trigonometric parallaxes and Cepheid pulsation models. These new MC distances lead to the relative distance, Delta mu = 0.48 + or - 0.03 mag (FU, log P = 1) and Delta mu = 0.52 + or - 0.03 mag (FO, log P = 0.5), which agrees quite well with previous estimates based on robust distance indicators.
Abstract
We performed the largest and most homogeneous spectroscopic survey of field RR Lyraes (RRLs). We secured ≈6300 high-resolution (HR,
R
∼ 35,000) spectra for 143 RRLs (111 fundamental, RRab; ...32 first-overtone, RRc). The atmospheric parameters were estimated by using the traditional approach and the iron abundances were measured by using an LTE line analysis. The resulting iron distribution shows a well-defined metal-rich tail approaching solar iron abundance. This suggests that field RRLs experienced a complex chemical enrichment in the early halo formation. We used these data to develop a new calibration of the Δ
S
method. This diagnostic, based on the equivalent widths of Ca
ii
K and three Balmer (H
δ
,
γ
,
β
) lines, traces the metallicity of RRLs. For the first time, the new empirical calibration: (i) includes spectra collected over the entire pulsation cycle; (ii) includes RRc variables; (iii) relies on spectroscopic calibrators covering more than three dex in iron abundance; and (iv) provides independent calibrations based on one/two/three Balmer lines. The new calibrations were applied to a data set of both SEGUE-SDSS and degraded HR spectra totalling 6451 low-resolution (
R
∼ 2000) spectra for 5001 RRLs (3439 RRab, 1562 RRc). This resulted in an iron distribution with a median
η
= −1.55 ± 0.01 and
σ
= 0.51 dex, in good agreement with literature values. We also found that RRc are 0.10 dex more metal-poor than RRab variables, and have a distribution with a smoother metal-poor tail. This finding supports theoretical prescriptions suggesting a steady decrease in the RRc number when moving from metal-poor to metal-rich stellar environments.
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