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The distance to the Large Magellanic Cloud from first overtone RR Lyrae variables

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 April 2016

A.V. Muzzin ,
C.M. Clement ,
D.R. Alves  and
The MACHO Collaboration
A.V. Muzzin
Affiliation:
Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of Toronto, 60 St. George St., Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3H8, Canada
C.M. Clement
Affiliation:
Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of Toronto, 60 St. George St., Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3H8, Canada
D.R. Alves
Affiliation:
Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory, 550 W. 120th St., Mailcode 5247, New York, New York, 10027, USA

Abstract

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Fourier coefficients have been derived for the V and R light curves of 330 bona fide RR Lyrae first-overtone (RR1) pulsators in 16 MACHO fields near the bar of the LMC. We use the Fourier phase parameter ɸ31 and log P values to select a subsample of these stars which are similar to the RR1s in the Galactic globular cluster M5. Assuming that the M5-like stars in the LMC have absolute magnitudes comparable to the HB stars in M5, we use independent studies to derive their mean absolute V magnitude and compute a visual distance modulus of μLMC = 18.43 ± 0.06 (statistical) ±0.16 (systematic). By selecting stars on the basis of their light curve parameters, we are able to derive a distance modulus that does not depend on the somewhat poorly determined Mv – [Fe/H] relation for RR Lyr stars.

Type
Part 3. Variable stars as tracers of different stellar populations – galactic and globular clusters, LMC/SMC and Local Group galaxies
Information
International Astronomical Union Colloquium , Volume 193: Variable Stars in the Local Group , 2004 , pp. 180 - 183
Copyright
Copyright © Astronomical Society of the Pacific 2004

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