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In this paper, we explore the possibility of using the Wesenheit function to derive individual distances to Galactic Cepheids, as the dispersion of the reddening-free Wesenheit function is smaller than the optical period--luminosity (P-L) relation. When compared to the distances from various methods, the averaged differences between our results and published distances range from -0.061 to 0.009, suggesting that the Wesenheit function can be used to derive individual Cepheid distances. We have also constructed Galactic P-L relations and selected Wesenheit functions based on the derived distances. A by-product from this work is the derivation of Large Magellanic Cloud distance modulus when calibrating the Wesenheit function. It is found to be 18.531 ± 0.043 mag. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the synthetic period--luminosity (P-L) relations in Spitzer's IRAC bands, based on a series of theoretical pulsation models with varying metal and helium abundance, were investigated. Selected sets of these synthetic P-L relations were compared to the empirical IRAC band P-L relations recently determined from Galactic and Magellanic Clouds Cepheids. For the Galactic case, synthetic P-L relations from model sets with (Y = 0.26, Z = 0.01), (Y = 0.26, Z = 0.02), and (Y = 0.28, Z = 0.02) agree with the empirical Galactic P-L relations derived from the Hubble Space Telescope parallaxes. For Magellanic Cloud Cepheids, the synthetic P-L relations from model sets with (Y = 0.25, Z = 0.008) agree with both of the empirical Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and Small Magellanic Cloud P-L relations. Analysis of the synthetic P-L relations from all model sets suggested that the IRAC band P-L relations may not be independent of metallicity, as the P-L slopes and intercepts could be affected by the metallicity and/or helium abundance. We also derive the synthetic period--color (P-C) relations in the IRAC bands. Non-vanishing synthetic P-C relations were found for certain combinations of IRAC band filters and metallicity. However, the synthetic P-C relations disagreed with the [3.6]-[8.0] P-C relation recently found for the Galactic Cepheids. The synthetic [3.6]-[4.5] P-C slope from the (Y = 0.25, Z = 0.008) model set, on the other hand, is in excellent agreement to the empirical LMC P-C counterpart, if a period range 1.0 < log(P) < 1.8 is adopted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present Period–Luminosity and Period–Luminosity–Color relations at maximum light for Mira variables in the Magellanic Clouds using time-series data from the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment (OGLE-III) and Gaia data release 2. The maximum-light relations exhibit a scatter typically up to ∼30% smaller than their mean-light counterparts. The apparent magnitudes of oxygen-rich Miras at maximum light display significantly smaller cycle-to-cycle variations than at minimum light. High-precision photometric data for Kepler Mira candidates also exhibit stable magnitude variations at the brightest epochs, while their multi-epoch spectra display strong Balmer emission lines and weak molecular absorption at maximum light. The stability of maximum-light magnitudes for Miras possibly occurs due to the decrease in the sensitivity to molecular bands at their warmest phase. At near-infrared wavelengths, the period–luminosity relations (PLRs) of Miras display similar dispersion at mean and maximum light with limited time-series data in the Magellanic Clouds. A kink in the oxygen-rich Mira PLRs is found at 300 days in the VI-bands, which shifts to longer periods (∼350 days) at near-infrared wavelengths. Oxygen-rich Mira PLRs at maximum light provide a relative distance modulus, Δμ = 0.48 ± 0.08 mag, between the Magellanic Clouds with a smaller statistical uncertainty than the mean-light relations. The maximum-light properties of Miras can be very useful for stellar atmosphere modeling and distance scale studies provided their stability and the universality can be established in other stellar environments in the era of extremely large telescopes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigation of period–color (PC) and amplitude–color (AC) relations at the maximum and minimum light can be used to probe the interaction of the hydrogen ionization front (HIF) with the photosphere and the radiation hydrodynamics of the outer envelopes of Cepheids and RR Lyraes. For example, theoretical calculations indicated that such interactions would occur at minimum light for RR Lyrae and result in a flatter PC relation. In the past, the PC and AC relations have been investigated by using either the (V − R)MACHO or (V − I) colors. In this work, we extend previous work to other bands by analyzing the RR Lyraes in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Stripe 82 Region. Multi-epoch data are available for RR Lyraes located within the footprint of the Stripe 82 Region in five (ugriz) bands. We present the PC and AC relations at maximum and minimum light in four colors: (u − g)0, (g − r)0, (r − i)0, and (i − z)0, after they are corrected for extinction. We found that the PC and AC relations for this sample of RR Lyraes show a complex nature in the form of flat, linear or quadratic relations. Furthermore, the PC relations at minimum light for fundamental mode RR Lyrae stars are separated according to the Oosterhoff type, especially in the (g − r)0 and (r − i)0 colors. If only considering the results from linear regressions, our results are quantitatively consistent with the theory of HIF-photosphere interaction for both fundamental and first overtone RR Lyraes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we updated the catalog of Galactic Cepheids with 24 μm photometry by cross-matching the positions of known Galactic Cepheids to the recently released MIPSGAL point source catalog. We have added 36 new sources featuring MIPSGAL photometry in our analysis, thus increasing the existing sample to 65. Six different sources of compiled Cepheid distances were used to establish a 24 μm period–luminosity (P–L) relation. Our recommended 24 μm P–L relation is with an estimated intrinsic dispersion of 0.20 mag, and is derived from 58 Cepheids exhibiting distances based on a calibrated Wesenheit function. The slopes of the P–L relations were steepest when tied solely to the 10 Cepheids exhibiting trigonometric parallaxes from the Hubble Space Telescope and Hipparcos. Statistical tests suggest that these P–L relations are significantly different from those associated with other methods of distance determination, and simulations indicate that difference may arise from the small sample size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we present multi-band period–luminosity (P–L) relations for fundamental mode Cepheids in the SMC. The optical VI-band mean magnitudes for these SMC Cepheids were taken from the third phase of the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment (OGLE-III) catalog. We also matched the OGLE-III SMC Cepheids to 2MASS and SAGE-SMC catalog to derive mean magnitudes in the JHK-bands and the four Spitzer IRAC bands, respectively. All photometry was corrected for extinction by adopting Zaritsky’s extinction map. Cepheids with periods smaller than ∼2.5 days were removed from the sample. In addition to the extinction corrected P–L relations in nine filters from optical to infrared, we also derived the extinction-free Wesenheit function for these Cepheids. We tested the nonlinearity of these SMC P–L relations (except the -band P–L relation) at 10 days: none of the P–L relations show statistically significant evidence of nonlinearity. When compared to the P–L relations in the LMC, the t-test results revealed that there is a difference between the SMC/LMC P–L slopes only in the V- and J-band. Further, we found excellent agreement between the SMC/LMC Wesenheit P–L slope. The difference in LMC and SMC Period–Wesenheit relation LMC and SMC zero points was found to be mag. This amounts to a difference in distance modulus between the LMC and SMC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]