We present mid-infrared Period-Luminosity relations for Cepheids in the Local Group galaxy IC1613. Using archival IRAC imaging data from Spitzer we were able to measure single-epoch magnitudes for five, 7 to 50-day, Cepheids at 3.6 and 4.5 microns. When fit to the calibrating relations, measured for the Large Magellanic Cloud Cepheids, the data give apparent distance moduli of 24.29 +/- 0.07 and 24.28 +/- 0.07 at 3.6 and 4.5 microns, respectively. A multi-wavelength fit to previously published BVRIJHK apparent moduli and the two IRAC moduli gives a true distance modulus of 24.27 +/- 0.02 mag with E(B-V) = 0.08 mag, and a corresponding metric distance of 715 kpc. Given that these results are based on single-phase observations derived from exposures having total integration times of only 1,000 sec/pixel we suggest that Cepheids out to about 2 Mpc are accessible to Spitzer with modest integration times during its warm mission. We identify the main limiting factor to this method to be crowding/contamination induced by the ubiquitous population of infrared-bright AGB stars.
The investigation of the non-linearity of the Leavitt law is a topic that began more than seven decades ago, when some of the studies in this field found that the Leavitt law has a break at about ten days. The goal of this work is to investigate a possible statistical cause of this non-linearity. By applying linear regressions to OGLE-II and OGLE-IV data, we find that, in order to obtain the Leavitt law by using linear regression, robust techniques to deal with influential points and/or outliers are needed instead of the ordinary least-squares regression traditionally used. In particular, by u…
We undertake a new test of the metallicity sensitivity of the Leavitt Law for Classical Cepheids. We derive an empirical calibration of the apparent luminosities of Cepheids as measured from the optical through the mid-infrared (0.45-8.0um) as a function of spectroscopic [Fe/H] abundances of individual Cepheids in the Large Magellanic Cloud from Romaniello et al. (2008). The cumulative trend over the entire wavelength range shows a nearly monotonic behavior. The sense of the trend is consistent with differential line-blanketing in the optical, leading to stars of high metallicity being fainter…
Classical Cepheid variable stars have been important indicators of extragalactic distance and Galactic evolution for over a century. The Spitzer Space Telescope has opened the possibility of extending the study of Cepheids into the mid- and far-infrared, where interstellar extinction is reduced. We have obtained photometry from images of a sample of Galactic Cepheids with the IRAC and MIPS instruments on Spitzer. Here we present the first mid-infrared period-luminosity relations for Classical Cepheids in the Galaxy, and the first ever Cepheid period-luminosity relations at 24 and 70 um. We com…
More than a century ago, Henrietta Leavitt discovered the first Cepheids in the Magellanic Clouds together with the famous period-luminosity relationship revealed by these stars, which soon after revolutionized our view of the Universe. Over the years, the number of known Cepheids in these galaxies has steadily increased with the breakthrough in the last two decades thanks to the new generation of large-scale long-term sky variability surveys. Here we present the final upgrade of the OGLE Collection of Cepheids in the Magellanic System which already contained the vast majority of known Cepheid…
Cepheid Metallicity in the Leavitt Law (C--MetaLL) survey: VIII. High-Resolution IGRINS Spectroscopy of 23 Classical Cepheids: Validating NIR Abundances
INAF-Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania（意大利国家天体物理研究所卡塔尼亚天文台）；Inter-University Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA)（大学间天文学与天体物理学中心）；INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Capodimonte（意大利国家天体物理研究所卡波迪蒙特天文台）；European Southern Observatory（欧洲南方天文台）；Department of Astronomy, School of Science, The University of Tokyo（东京大学理学部天文学系）；Laboratory of Infrared High-Resolution spectroscopy (LiH), Koyama Astronomical Observatory, Kyoto Sangyo University（京都产业大学小山天文台红外高分辨率光谱实验室）；Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN)-Sez. di Napoli（意大利国家核物理研究所那不勒斯分部）
Polaris the Cepheid has been observed for centuries, presenting surprises and changing our view of Cepheids and stellar astrophysics, in general. Specifically, understanding Polaris helps anchor the Cepheid Leavitt law, but the distance must be measured precisely. The recent debate regarding the distance to Polaris has raised questions about its role in calibrating the Leavitt law and even its evolutionary status. In this work, I present new stellar evolution models of Cepheids to compare with previously measured CNO abundances, period change and angular diameter. Based on the comparison, I sh…
The universality and linearity of the Leavitt law are hypotheses commonly adopted in studies of galaxy distances using Cepheid variables as standard candles. In order to test these hypotheses, we obtain slopes of the Leavitt law using linear regressions of fundamental-mode Cepheids observed by the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment project in the Magellanic Clouds. We find that the slopes in $VI$-bands and in the Wesenheit index behave exponentially, indicating non-linearity. We also find that the slopes obtained using long-period Cepheids can be considered as universal in the $VI$-bands…
We present observational details and first results of a near-infrared (JHKs) synoptic survey of the central region of the Large Magellanic Cloud using the CPAPIR camera at the CTIO 1.5-m telescope. We covered 18 sq. deg. to a depth of Ks~16.5 mag and obtained an average of 16 epochs in each band at any given location. Our catalog contains more than 3.5x10^6 sources, including 1417 Cepheid variables previously studied at optical wavelengths by the OGLE survey. Our sample of fundamental-mode pulsators represents a 9-fold increase in the number of these variables with time-resolved, multi-band ne…
The Cepheid Period-Luminosity (PL) relation is the key tool for measuring astronomical distances and for establishing the extragalactic distance scale. In particular, the local value of the Hubble constant ($H_0$) strongly depends on Cepheid distance measurements. The recent Gaia Data Releases and other parallax measurements from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) already enabled to improve the accuracy of the slope ($α$) and intercept ($β$) of the PL relation. However, the dependence of this law on metallicity is still largely debated. In this paper, we combine three samples of Cepheids in the …
Classical Cepheids (CCs) are at the heart of the empirical extragalactic distance ladder. Milky Way CCs are the only stars of this class accessible to trigonometric parallax measurements. Until recently, the most accurate trigonometric parallaxes of Milky Way CCs were the HST/FGS measurements collected by Benedict et al. (2002, 2007) and HST/WFC3 measurements by Riess et al. (2018). Unfortunately, the second Gaia data release (GDR2) has not yet delivered reliable parallaxes for Galactic CCs, failing to replace the HST as the foundation of the Galactic calibrations of the Leavitt law. We aim at…
The classical Cepheid $l$ Carinae is an essential calibrator of the Cepheid Leavitt Law as a rare long-period Galactic Cepheid. Understanding the properties of this star will also constrain the physics and evolution of massive ($M \ge 8$ $M_\odot$) Cepheids. The challenge, however, is precisely measuring the star's pulsation period and its rate of period change. The former is important for calibrating the Leavitt Law and the latter for stellar evolution modeling. In this work, we combine previous time-series observations spanning more than a century with new observations to remeasure the pulsa…
Classical Cepheids provide the foundation for the empirical extragalactic distance ladder. Milky Way Cepheids are the only stars in this class accessible to trigonometric parallax measurements. However, the parallaxes of Cepheids from the second Gaia data release (GDR2) are affected by systematics because of the absence of chromaticity correction, and occasionally by saturation. As a proxy for the parallaxes of 36 Galactic Cepheids, we adopt either the GDR2 parallaxes of their spatially resolved companions or the GDR2 parallax of their host open cluster. This novel approach allows us to bypass…
We investigate the radial velocity (RV) variability and spectroscopic binarity of 19 Galactic long-period ($P_{\rm{puls}} \gtrsim 10$ d) classical Cepheid variable stars whose trigonometric parallaxes are being measured using the Hubble Space Telescope and Gaia. Our primary objective is to constrain possible parallax error due to undetected orbital motion. Using $>1600$ high-precision RVs measured between 2011 and 2016, we find no indication of orbital motion on $\lesssim 5$ yr timescales for 18 Cepheids and determine upper limits on allowed configurations for a range of input orbital periods.…
Classical Cepheids (DCEPs) are the first fundamental step in the calibration of the cosmological distance ladder. Furthermore, they represent powerful tracers in the context of Galactic studies. We have collected high-resolution spectroscopy with UVES@VLT for a sample of 65 DCEPs. The majority of them are the faintest DCEPs ever observed in the Milky Way. For each target, we derived accurate atmospheric parameters, radial velocities, and abundances for 24 different species. The resulting iron abundances range between +0.3 and $-$1.1 dex with the bulk of stars at [Fe/H]$\sim-0.5$ dex. Our sampl…
We present time-series observations of Population \rom{2} Cepheids in the Large Magellanic Cloud at near-infrared ($JHK_s$) wavelengths. Our sample consists of 81 variables with accurate periods and optical ($VI$) magnitudes from the OGLE survey, covering various subtypes of pulsators (BL Herculis, W Virginis and RV Tauri). We generate light curve templates using high-quality $I$-band data in the LMC from OGLE and $K_s$-band data in the Galactic Bulge from VVV and use them to obtain robust mean magnitudes. We derive Period-Luminosity (P-L) relations in the near-infrared and Period-Wesenheit (P…
The effect of metallicity on the Leavitt Law using phase-dependent properties of classical Cepheids
Cotton University（科顿大学）；State University of New York Oswego（纽约州立大学奥斯威戈分校）；European Space Agency (ESA), ESA Office, Space Telescope Science Institute（欧洲空间局（ESA），ESA办公室，太空望远镜科学研究所）；Inter University Centre for Astronomy & Astrophysics（大学间天文学与天体物理学中心）；INAF-Osservatorio astronomico di Capodimonte（意大利国家天体物理研究所卡波迪蒙特天文台）；Yale University（耶鲁大学）
Classical Cepheids (DCEPs) are the most important primary indicators of the extragalactic distance scale. Establishing the dependence on metallicity of their period--luminosity and period--Wesenheit ($PLZ$/$PWZ$) relations has deep consequences on the calibration of secondary distance indicators that lead to the final estimate of the Hubble constant (H$_0$). We collected high-resolution spectroscopy for 47 DCEPs plus 1 BL Her variables with HARPS-N@TNG and derived accurate atmospheric parameters, radial velocities and metal abundances. We measured spectral lines for 29 species and characterize…
Classical Cepheids (DCEPs) are the most important standard candles in the extra-galactic distance scale thanks to the Period-Luminosity ($\rm PL$), Period-Luminosity-Color ($\rm PLC$) and Period-Wesenheit ($\rm PW$) relations that hold for these objects. The advent of the {\it Gaia} mission, and in particular the Early Data Release 3 (EDR3) provided accurate parallaxes to calibrate these relations. In order to fully exploit {\it Gaia} measurements, the zero point (ZP) of {\it Gaia} parallaxes should be determined with an accuracy of a few $\rm μas$. The individual ZP corrections provided by th…
The Milky Way Cepheid RS Puppis is a particularly important calibrator for the Leavitt law (the Period-Luminosity relation). It is a rare, long period pulsator (P=41.5 days), and a good analog of the Cepheids observed in distant galaxies. It is the only known Cepheid to be embedded in a large (~0.5 pc) dusty nebula, that scatters the light from the pulsating star. Due to the light travel time delay introduced by the scattering on the dust, the brightness and color variations of the Cepheid imprint spectacular light echoes on the nebula. I here present a brief overview of the studies of this ph…
Cepheid Metallicity in the Leavitt Law (C- MetaLL) survey: VIII: Spectroscopic detection of rare earth dysprosium, erbium, lutetium and thorium in Classical Cepheids
INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Capodimonte（意大利国家天体物理研究所卡波迪蒙特天文台）；INAF-Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania（意大利国家天体物理研究所卡塔尼亚天文台）；Università di Salerno, Dipartimento di Fisica “E.R. Caianiello”（萨莱诺大学E.R.凯亚涅洛物理系）；INAF-Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio（意大利国家天体物理研究所天体物理学与空间科学观测站）；Leibniz-Institut für Astrophysik Potsdam (AIP)（波茨坦莱布尼茨天体物理研究所）；Inter-University Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA)（跨大学天文学与天体物理学中心）；Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN)-Sez. di Napoli（意大利国家核物理研究所那不勒斯分部）
Measurements of secular period change probe real-time stellar evolution of classical Cepheids making these measurements powerful constraints for stellar evolution models, especially when coupled with interferometric measurements. In this work, we present stellar evolution models and measured rates of period change for two Galactic Cepheids: Polaris and l Carinae, both important Cepheids for anchoring the Cepheid Leavitt law (period-luminosity relation). The combination of previously-measured parallaxes, interferometric angular diameters and rates of period change allows for predictions of Ceph…
We present the modeling tool we developed to incorporate multi-technique observations of Cepheids in a single pulsation model: the Spectro-Photo-Interferometry of Pulsating Stars (SPIPS). The combination of angular diameters from optical interferometry, radial velocities and photometry with the coming Gaia DR2 parallaxes of nearby Galactic Cepheids will soon enable us to calibrate the projection factor of the classical Parallax-of-Pulsation method. This will extend its applicability to Cepheids too distant for accurate Gaia parallax measurements, and allow us to precisely calibrate the Leavitt…
The Carnegie Hubble Program (CHP) is designed to calibrate the extragalactic distance scale using data from the post-cryogenic era of the Spitzer Space Telescope. The ultimate goal of the CHP is a systematic improvement in the distance scale leading to a determination of the Hubble Constant to within an accuracy of 2%. This paper focuses on the measurement and calibration of the Galactic Cepheid Period-Luminosity (Leavitt) Relation using the warm Spitzer IRAC 1 and 2 bands at 3.6 and 4.5 μm. We present photometric measurements covering the period range 4 - 70 days for 37 Galactic Cepheids. Dat…
Cepheid Metallicity in the Leavitt Law (C-MetaLL) survey: IX. Metallicity dependence of Period-Wesenheit relations based on a homogeneous spectroscopic sample
INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Capodimonte（意大利国家天体物理研究所卡波迪蒙特天文台）；INAF-Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania（意大利国家天体物理研究所卡塔尼亚天文台）；Inter-University Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA)（大学间天文学与天体物理学中心）；INAF-Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio（意大利国家天体物理研究所空间科学与天体物理观测站）
We present a detailed statistical analysis of possible non-linearities in the Period-Luminosity (P-L), Period-Wesenheit (P-W) and Period-Color (P-C) relations for Cepheid variables in the LMC at optical ($VI$) and near-infrared ($JHK_{s}$) wavelengths. We test for the presence of possible non-linearities and determine their statistical significance by applying a variety of robust statistical tests ($F$-test, Random-Walk, Testimator and the Davies test) to optical data from OGLE III and near-infrared data from LMCNISS. For fundamental-mode Cepheids, we find that the optical P-L, P-W and P-C rel…
Aims. We study the close environment of nearby Cepheids using high spatial resolution observations in the mid-infrared with the VLTI/MIDI instrument, a two-beam interferometric recombiner. Methods. We obtained spectra and visibilities for the classical Cepheids X Sgr and T Mon. We fitted the MIDI measurements, supplemented by B, V, J, H, K literature photometry, with the numerical transfer code DUSTY to determine the dust shell parameters. We used a typical dust composition for circumstellar environments. Results. We detect an extended dusty environment in the spectra and visibilities for both…
Masses of classical Cepheids of 3 to 11 M$\odot$ are predicted by theory but those measured, clump between 3.6 and 5 M$\odot$. As a result, their mass-luminosity relation is poorly constrained, impeding our understanding of basic stellar physics and the Leavitt Law. All Cepheid masses come from the analysis of 11 binary systems, including only 5 double-lined and well-suited for accurate dynamical mass determination. We present a project to analyze a new, numerous group of Cepheids in double-lined binary (SB2) systems to provide mass determinations in a wide mass interval and study their evolut…
In this paper we derive the Spitzer IRAC band period-luminosity (P-L) relations for the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) Cepheids, by matching the Spitzer archival SAGE-SMC data with the OGLE-III SMC Cepheids. We find that the 3.6micron and 4.5micron band P-L relations can be better described using two P-L relations with a break period at log(P)=0.4: this is consistent with similar results at optical wavelengths for SMC P-L relations. The 5.8micron and 8.0micron band P-L relations do not extend to sufficiently short periods to enable a similar detection of a slope change at log(P)=0.4. The slopes …
This paper discusses two aspects of current research on the Cepheid period-luminosity (P-L) relation: the derivation of mid-infrared (MIR) P-L relations and the investigation of multi-phase P-L relations. The MIR P-L relations for Cepheids are important in the James Webb Space Telescope era for the distance scale issue, as the relations have potential to derive the Hubble constant within ~ 2% accuracy - a critical constraint in precision cosmology. Consequently, we have derived the MIR P-L relations for Cepheids in the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, using archival data from Spitzer Space T…
Classical Cepheids are powerful probes of both stellar evolution and near-field cosmology thanks to their high luminosities, pulsations, and that they follow the Leavitt (Period-Luminosity) Law. However, there still exist a number of questions regarding their evolution, such as the role of rotation, convective core overshooting and winds. ln particular, how do these processes impact Cepheid evolution and the predicted fundamental properties such as stellar mass. In this work, we compare a sample of period change that are real-time observations of stellar evolution with new evolution models to …
Context. One challenge for measuring the Hubble constant using Classical Cepheids is the calibration of the Leavitt Law or period-luminosity relationship. The Baade-Wesselink method for distance determination to Cepheids relies on the ratio of the measured radial velocity and pulsation velocity, the so-called projection factor and the ability to measure the stellar angular diameters. Aims. We use spherically-symmetric model stellar atmospheres to explore the dependence of the p-factor and angular diameter corrections as a function of pulsation period. Methods. Intensity profiles are computed f…
[Abridged] - Context: Circumstellar envelopes (CSEs) around Cepheids are particularly interesting as they could impact the Cepheid distance scale, and imply stellar mass loss. Aims: Our goal is to establish the spatial and spectral properties of the CSEs of L Car and RS Pup. This is done through a parametrization of the envelopes in terms of fractional flux (with respect to the star) and angular size. - Methods: We retrieved archival Spitzer images of the two stars (3.5-70 mic), and obtained new imaging with the VLT/VISIR camera in BURST mode (8.6-11.9 mic), as well as interferometry with VLTI…
The classical Cepheid eta Aql was not included in past Leavitt Law work (Benedict et al. 2007) because of a presumed complicating orbit due to a known B9.8V companion. To determine the orbit of eta Aql B, we analyze a significant number of radial velocity measures (RV) from eight sources. With these we establish the RV variation due to Cepheid pulsation, using a twelve Fourier coefficient model, while solving for velocity offsets required to bring the RV data sets into coincidence. RV residuals provide no evidence of orbital motion, suggesting either nearly face-on orientation or very long per…
We determine the geometrical and viewing angle parameters of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) using the Leavitt law based on a sample of more than $3500$ common classical Cepheids (FU and FO) in optical ($V,I$), near-infrared ($JHK_{s}$) and mid-infrared ($[3.6]~μ$m and $[4.5]~μ$m) photometric bands. Statistical reddening and distance modulus free from the effect of reddening to each of the individual Cepheids are obtained using the simultaneous multi-band fit to the apparent distance moduli from the analysis of the resulting Leavitt laws in these seven photometric bands. A reddening map of th…
We present a physically motivated explanation for the observed, monotonic increase in slope, and the simultaneous (and also monotonic) decrease in the width/scatter of the Leavitt Law (the Cepheid Period-Luminosity (PL) relation) as one systematically moves from the blue and visual into the near and mid-infared. We calibrate the wavelength-dependent, surface-brightness sensitivities to temperature using the observed slopes of PL relations from the optical through the mid-infrared, and test the calibration by comparing the theoretical predictions with direct observations of the wavelength depen…
This study aims to increase awareness concerning the pernicious effects of photometric contamination (crowding/blending), since it can propagate an undesirable systematic offset into the cosmic distance scale. The latest Galactic Cepheid W_VIc and Spitzer calibrations were employed to establish distances for classical Cepheids in IC 1613 and NGC 6822, thus enabling the impact of photometric contamination to be assessed in concert with metallicity. Distances (W_VIc, [3.6]) for Cepheids in IC 1613 exhibit a galactocentric dependence, whereby Cepheids near the core appear (spuriously) too bright …
In this presentation I summarize recent work on Cepheid research carried out at the National Central University. The mid-infrared period-luminosity (P-L) relations for Cepheids are important in the James Webb Space Telescope era for distance scale work, as the relations have potential to derive the Hubble constant within ~2% accuracy - a critical constraint in the precision cosmology. Consequently, we have derived the mid-infrared P-L relations for Cepheids in the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, using archival data from the Spitzer Space Telescope. Kepler Space Telescope is a NASA mission t…
Distances and extinction values are usually degenerate. To refine the distance to the general Galactic Center region, a carefully determined extinction law (taking into account the prevailing systematic errors) is urgently needed. We collected data for 55 classical Cepheids projected toward the Galactic Center region to derive the near- to mid-infrared extinction law using three different approaches. The relative extinction values obtained are AJ/AKs = 3.005, AH/AKs = 1.717, A[3.6]/AKs = 0.478, A[4.5]/AKs = 0.341, A[5.8]/AKs = 0.234, A[8.0]/AKs = 0.321, AW1/AKs = 0.506, and AW2/AKs = 0.340. We…
We compare mid-infrared 3.6 and 4.5 $μ$m Warm Spitzer observations for Cepheids in the Milky Way and the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds. Using models, we explore in detail the effect of the CO rotation-vibration band-head at 4.6 $μ$m on the mid-infrared photometry. We confirm the temperature sensitivity of the CO band-head at 4.6 $μ$m and find no evidence for an effect at 3.6 $μ$m. We compare the ([3.6]-[4.5]) period-colour relations in the MW, LMC, and SMC. The slopes of the period-colour relations for the three galaxies are in good agreement, but there is a trend in zero-point with metall…
Polaris, the nearest and brightest Cepheid, is a potential anchor point for the Leavitt period-luminosity relation. However, its distance is a matter of contention, with recent advocacy for a parallax of ~10 mas, in contrast with the Hipparcos measurement of 7.54+/-0.11 mas. We report an independent trigonometric parallax determination, using the Fine Guidance Sensors (FGS) on the Hubble Space Telescope. Polaris itself is too bright for FGS, so we measured its 8th-magnitude companion Polaris B, relative to a network of background reference stars. We converted the FGS relative parallax to absol…
Cepheids and RR Lyrae stars are important pulsating variable stars in distance scale work because they serve as standard candles. Cepheids follow well-defined period-luminosity (PL) relations defined for bands extending from optical to mid-infrared (MIR). On the other hand, RR Lyrae stars also exhibit PL relations in the near-infrared and MIR wavelengths. In this article, we review some of the recent developments and calibrations of PL relations for Cepheids and RR Lyrae stars. For Cepheids, we discuss the calibration of PL relations via the Galactic and the Large Magellanic Cloud routes. For …
(abridged) Spectral energy distributions (SEDs) were constructed for a sample of 477 classical cepheids (CCs). The SEDs were fitted with a dust radiative transfer code. Four stars showed a large mid- or far-infrared excess and the fitting then included a dust component. These comprise the well-known case of RS Pup, and three stars that are (likely) Type-II cepheids (T2Cs), AU Peg, QQ Per, and FQ Lac. The remainder of the sample was fitted with a stellar photosphere to derive the best-fitting luminosity and effective temperature. Distance and reddening were taken from the literature. The stars …
Classical Cepheids are well-known and widely used distance indicators. As distance and extinction are usually degenerate, it is important to develop suitable methods to robustly anchor the distance scale. Here, we introduce a near-infrared (near-IR) optimal distance method to determine both the extinction values of and distances to a large sample of 288 Galactic classical Cepheids. The overall uncertainty in the derived distances is less than 4.9%. We compare our newly determined distances to the Cepheids in our sample with previously published distances to the same Cepheids with Hubble Space …
We present a technique for decomposing Cepheid light curves into their fundamental constituent parts; that is, their radius and temperature variations. We demonstrate that any given pair of optical luminosity and color curves can be used to predict the shape, amplitude and phase of a Cepheid's light variation at any other wavelength. With such predictions in hand, a single new observation at any given new wavelength can be used to normalize the properties of the predicted light curve, and in specific, derive a precise value of the time-averaged mean. We suggest that this method will be of grea…
We report the discovery of a pair of extremely reddened classical Cepheid variable stars located in the Galactic plane behind the bulge, using near-infrared time-series photometry from the VVV Survey. This is the first time that such objects have ever been found in the opposite side of the Galactic plane. The Cepheids have almost identical periods, apparent brightnesses and colors. From the near-infrared Leavitt law, we determine their distances with ~1.5% precision and ~8% accuracy. We find that they have a same total extinction of A(V)~32 mag, and are located at the same heliocentric distanc…
We have conducted a search for open clusters in the vicinity of classical Galactic Cepheids based on high-quality astrometry from the third data release (DR3) of the ESA mission Gaia to improve the calibration of the Leavitt law (LL). Our approach requires no prior knowledge of existing clusters, allowing us to both detect new host clusters and cross-check previously reported associations. Our Gold sample consists of 34 Cepheids residing in 28 open clusters, including 27 fundamental mode and 7 overtone Cepheids. Three new bona fide cluster Cepheids are reported (V0378 Cen, ST Tau, and GH Lup) …
Cepheids are key to establishing the cosmic distance scale. Therefore it's important to assess the viability of QZ Nor, V340 Nor, and GU Nor as calibrators for Leavitt's law via their purported membership in the open cluster NGC 6067. The following suite of evidence confirms that QZ Nor and V340 Nor are members of NGC 6067, whereas GU Nor likely lies in the foreground: (i) existing radial velocities for QZ Nor and V340 Nor agree with that established for the cluster (-39.4+-1.2 km/s) to within 1 km/s, whereas GU Nor exhibits a markedly smaller value; (ii) a steep velocity-distance gradient cha…
The mid-infrared period-luminosity (P-L) relation for Cepheids will be important in the JWST era, as it holds the promise of deriving the Hubble constant within 2% accuracy. We present the synthetic P-L and period-color (P-C) relations, derived from a series of stellar pulsation models with varying helium and metallicity abundance, in the Spitzer IRAC bands. Selected synthetic P-L and P-C relations were compared to the empirical relations derived from Galactic and Large Magellanic Cloud Cepheids. We also present the empirical P-L relations based on the latest distance measurements using infrar…
The mid-infrared (MIR) period-luminosity (P-L) relations for Cepheids will be important in the JWST era, as it holds the promise of deriving the Hubble constant within 2% accuracy. It is expected that the MIR P-L to be insensitive to metallicity. In this work, we test this assumption of metallicity independent of the IRAC band P-L relation by applying well-known statistical methods to the synthetic P-L slopes from a series of pulsating models with known metallicity. The statistical tests suggest that the P-L slopes in MIR are linearly depending on metallicity.
