We present some results of long term studies of pulsating stars conducted in the course of the OGLE and Araucaria projects. In particular very scarce eclipsing binaries containing pulsating stars are discussed. Such systems provide a unique opportuni
ty to improve calibration of the cosmic distance scale and to better calibrate stellar evolutionary models.
We present a distance determination to the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) based on an analysis of four detached, long period, late type eclipsing binaries discovered by the OGLE Survey. The components of the binaries show negligible intrinsic variabili
ty. A consistent set of stellar parameters was derived with low statistical and systematic uncertainty. The absolute dimensions of the stars are calculated with a precision of better than 3%. The surface brightness - infrared color relation was used to derive the distance to each binary. The four systems clump around a distance modulus of (m - M)=18.99 with a dispersion of only 0.05 mag. Combining these results with the distance published by Graczyk et al. for the eclipsing binary OGLE SMC113.3 4007 we obtain a mean distance modulus to the SMC of 18.965 +/- 0.025 (stat.) +/- 0.048 (syst.) mag. This corresponds to a distance of 62.1 +/- 1.9 kpc, where the error includes both uncertainties. Taking into account other recent published determinations of the SMC distance we calculated the distance modulus difference between the SMC and the LMC equal to 0.458 +/- 0.068 mag. Finally we advocate mu_{SMC}=18.95 +/- 0.07 as a new canonical value of the distance modulus to this galaxy.
The early B supergiant LMC star BI 108 is photometrically variable with a unique light curve; two strong periods are present in an almost precise 3:2 resonance. We collected spectroscopic data at VLT/UVES, sampling the supercycle of 10.733 days in te
n epochs. We find spectral signatures for a SB2 system consisting of two massive B1 supergiants orbiting at the orbital period of 5.366 days. The shorter periodicity resembles the light curve of an eclipsing binary with periodicity 3.578 days that is not detected in the data. We discuss possible causes for the short periodicity and conclude that the quadruple system is the more plausible hypothesis.
We have obtained accurate near-infrared photometry of the Tip of the Red Giant Branches in the Local Group galaxies Sculptor, NGC 6822, NGC 3109, IC 1613 and WLM. We have used the derived TRGB magnitudes together with the absolute magnitude calibrati
on of the near-infrared TRGB magnitude of Valenti, Ferraro and Origlia to determine the distances of these five galaxies. The statis- tical errors in the distance moduli are typically 4%. The systematic uncertain- ties are dominated by the knowledge of the mean metallicities of the red giant branches, and are in the range of 5-8%. We observe a slight (2%) systematic difference between the distances derived from the J and K bands, respectively, which is within the 1 {sigma} errors of the distances. We compare the new distances derived in this paper with other recent distance determinations for our target galaxies and find excellent agreement. In particular, the near-infrared TRGB distances to the four dwarf irregular galaxies in the sample agree to better than 5% in each case with their Cepheid distances obtained from infrared photome- try, indicating that there is no appreciable systematic offset between these two fundamental techniques using old and young stellar populations, respectively.
We have obtained deep infrared J and K band observations of nine 4.9x4.9 arcmin fields in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) with the ESO New Technology Telescope equipped with the SOFI infrared camera. In these fields, 34 RR Lyrae stars catalogued by
the OGLE collaboration were identified. Using different theoretical and empirical calibrations of the infrared period-luminosity-metallicity relation, we find consistent SMC distance moduli, and find a best true distance modulus to the SMC of 18.97 +/- 0.03 (statistical) +/- 0.12 (systematic) mag which agrees well with most independent distance determinations to this galaxy, and puts the SMC 0.39 mag more distant than the LMC for which our group has recently derived, from the same technique, a distance of 18.58 mag.
We have obtained deep infrared $J$ and $K$ band observations of five fields located in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) bar with the ESO New Technology Telescope equipped with the SOFI infrared camera. In our fields, 65 RR Lyrae stars catalogued by t
he OGLE collaboration were identified. Using different theoretical and empirical calibrations of the period-luminosity-metallicity relation, we find consistent LMC distance moduli values. Since the observed fields are situated very close to the center of the LMC, the correction for the tilt of the LMC bar with respect to the line of sight is negligible. Our adopted best true distance modulus to the LMC of $18.58 pm 0.03$ (statistical) $pm$ 0.11 (systematic) mag agrees very well with most independent determinations to this galaxy.
