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The MACHO Project LMC Variable Star Inventory: Classical Cepheids and AGB Variables

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 Added by Alves
 Publication date 1998
  fields Physics
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We present a method for solving the lightcurve of an eclipsing binary system which contains a Cepheid variable as one of its components as well as the solutions for three eclipsing Cepheids in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). A geometric model is constructed in which the component stars are assumed to be spherical and on circular orbits. The emergent system flux is computed as a function of time, with the intrinsic variations in temperature and radius of the Cepheid treated self-consistently. Fitting the adopted model to photometric observations, incorporating data from multiple bandpasses, yields a single parameter set best describing the system. This method is applied to three eclipsing Cepheid systems from the MACHO Project LMC database: MACHO IDs 6.6454.5, 78.6338.24 and 81.8997.87. A best-fit value is obtained for each systems orbital period and inclination and for the relative radius, color and limb-darkening coefficients of each star. Pulsation periods and parameterizations of the intrinsic color variations of the Cepheids are also obtained and the amplitude of the radial pulsation of each Cepheid is measured directly. The system 6.6454.5 is found to contain a 4.97-day Cepheid, which cannot be definitely classified as Type I or Type II, with an unexpectedly brighter companion. The system 78.6338.24 consists of a 17.7-day, W Vir Class Type II Cepheid with a smaller, dimmer companion. The system 81.8997.87 contains an intermediate-mass, 2.03-day overtone Cepheid with a dimmer, red giant secondary.
We report the discovery of eight new R Coronae Borealis (RCB) stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) using the MACHO project photometry database. The discovery of these new stars increases the number of known RCB stars in the LMC to thirteen. We have also discovered four stars similar to the Galactic variable DY Per. These stars decline much more slowly and are cooler than the RCB stars. The absolute luminosities of the Galactic RCB stars are unknown since there is no direct measurement of the distance to any Galactic RCB star. Hence, the importance of the LMC RCB stars. We find a much larger range of absolute magnitudes (M(V) = -2.5 to -5 mag) than inferred from the small pre-MACHO sample of LMC RCB stars. It is likely that there is a temperature - M(V)relationship with the cooler stars being intrinsically fainter. Cool (~5000 K) RCB stars are much more common than previously thought based on the Galactic RCB star sample. Using the fairly complete sample of RCB stars discovered in the MACHO fields, we have estimated the likely number of RCB stars in the Galaxy to be ~3,200. The SMC MACHO fields were also searched for RCB stars but none were found.
Fourier coefficents have been derived for the $V$ and $R$ light curves of 785 overtone RR Lyrae variables in 16 MACHO fields near the bar of the LMC. The $phi_{31}$ and $R_{21}$ coefficients have been compared with those of the first overtone RR Lyrae variables in the Galactic globular clusters NGC 6441, M107, M5, M3, M2, $omega$ Centauri and M68. The results indicate that many of the LMC variables have properties similar to the ones in M2, M3, M5 and the Oosterhoff type I variables in $omega$ Cen, but they are different from the Oosterhoff type II variables in $omega$ Cen. Equations derived from hydrodynamic pulsation models have been used to calculate the luminosity and temperature for the 330 bona fide first-overtone variables. The results indicate that they have $log L$ in the range 1.6 to $1.8lsun$ and $log T_{eff}$ between 3.85 and 3.87. Based on these temperatures, a mean color excess $E(V-R) =0.08$ mag, equivalent to $E(B-V)=0.14$ mag, has been estimated for these 330 stars. The 80 M5-like variables (selected according to their location in the $phi_{31}-log P$ plot) are used to determine a LMC distance. After correcting for the effects of extinction and crowding, a mean apparent magnitude $<V_0>=18.99 pm 0.02$ (statistical) $pm 0.16$ (systematic) has been estimated for these 80 stars. Combining this with a mean absolute magnitude $M_V=0.56pm 0.06$ for M5-like stars derived from Baade-Wesselink analyses, main sequence fitting, Fourier parameters and the trigonometric parallax of RR Lyrae, we derive an LMC distance modulus $mu=18.43pm 0.06$ (statistical) $pm 0.16$ (systematic) mag. The large systematic error arises from the difficulties of correcting for interstellar extinction and for crowding.
The status of our work on binary classical cepheid systems in the Large Magellanic Cloud is presented. We report on results from our follow up of two eclipsing binary cepheids OGLE-LMC-CEP-0227 and OGLE-LMC-CEP-1812. Here we presented for the first time confirmation that a third cepheid OGLE-LMC-CEP-2532 is a true eclipsing binary cepheid with a period of 800 days. Two other very good candidates for eclipsing binaries detected during OGLE-IV survey are also discussed.
We report on our search for microlensing towards the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). Analysis of 5.7 years of photometry on 11.9 million stars in the LMC reveals 13 - 17 microlensing events. This is significantly more than the $sim$ 2 to 4 events expected from lensing by known stellar populations. The timescales ($that$) of the events range from 34 to 230 days. We estimate the microlensing optical depth towards the LMC from events with $2 < that < 400$ days to be 1.2 ^{+0.4}_ {-0.3} ten{-7}$, with an additional 20% to 30% of systematic error. The spatial distribution of events is mildly inconsistent with LMC/LMC disk self-lensing, but is consistent with an extended lens distribution such as a Milky Way or LMC halo. Interpreted in the context of a Galactic dark matter halo, consisting partially of compact objects, a maximum likelihood analysis gives a MACHO halo fraction of 20% for a typical halo model with a 95% confidence interval of 8% to 50%. A 100% MACHO halo is ruled out at the 95% C.L. for all except our most extreme halo model. Interpreted as a Galactic halo population, the most likely MACHO mass is between $ 0.15 msun$ and $ 0.9 msun$, depending on the halo model, and the total mass in MACHOs out to 50 kpc is found to be 9+4-3 10^{10} msun, independent of the halo model. These results are marginally consistent with our previous results, but are lower by about a factor of two. Besides a larger data set, this work also includes an improved efficiency determination, improved likelihood analysis, and more thorough testing of systematic errors, especially with respect to the treatment of potential backgrounds to microlensing, such as supernovae in galaxies behind the LMC. [Abridged]
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