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Context. The Magellanic Clouds (MCs) are the Milky Way's most massive dwarf satellites. As they also represent the closest pair of galaxies in an ongoing tidal interaction while simultaneously infalling into the Milky Way halo, they provide a unique opportunity to study in detail an ongoing three-body encounter. Aims. We present the YMCA (Yes, Magellanic Clouds Again) survey: Probing the outer regions of the Magellanic system with VST, based on deep optical photometry carried out with the VLT Survey Telescope (VST). Methods. The YMCA survey targeted 110 square degrees, in the g and i filters, in the periphery of both MCs, including a long strip in between the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). The photometry of YMCA is sufficiently deep (50% complete down to g ≃ 23.5 − 24.0 mag) to allow for a detailed analysis of main-sequence stars in regions of the MCs that have remained relatively unexplored at these faint magnitudes. Results. The resulting colour–magnitude diagrams reveal that the outskirts of the MCs are predominantly characterised by intermediate-age and old stellar populations, with limited or negligible evidence of recent star formation. The analysis of the age distribution of star clusters (SCs) within the surveyed area, both already known and newly discovered candidates, hints at a close fly-by between the LMC and SMC that occurred ≃2.5 − 3.0 Gyr ago, in agreement with previous results. We also report the discovery of candidate SCs with ages within the so-called age-gap, thus questioning its real existence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. Type II Cepheids (T2Cs) are the less frequently used counterparts of classical or type I Cepheids (CCs) which provide the primary calibration of the distance ladder for measuring the Hubble constant in the local Universe. In the era of the "Hubble tension", T2C variables together with the RR Lyrae stars and the tip of the red giant branch (TRGB) can potentially provide non-CC-dependent calibration of the cosmic distance ladder. Aims. Our goal is to provide an absolute calibration of the period–luminosity, period–luminosity–colour, and period–Wesenheit relations (PL, PLC, and PW, respectively) of T2Cs in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), which traditionally serves as a crucial first anchor of the extragalactic distance ladder. Methods. We exploited time-series photometry in the near-infrared (NIR) Y,  J, and Ks bands for a sample of approximately 320 T2Cs in the Magellanic Clouds (MCs). These observations were acquired during 2009–2018 in the context of the VISTA survey of the Magellanic Clouds system (VMC), an ESO public survey. We supplemented the NIR photometry from the VMC survey with well-sampled optical light curves and accurate pulsation periods from the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment (OGLE) IV survey and the Gaia mission. We used the best-quality NIR light curves to generate custom templates for modelling sparsely sampled light curves in YJKs bands. Results. The best-fitting YJKs template light curves were used to derive accurate and precise intensity-averaged mean magnitudes and pulsation amplitudes of 277 and 62 T2Cs in the LMC and SMC, respectively. We used optical and NIR mean magnitudes for different T2C subclasses (BLHer, WVir, and RVTau) to derive PL/PLC/PW relations in multiple bands, which were calibrated with the geometric distance to the LMC as derived from eclipsing binaries and with the Gaia parallaxes. We used our new empirical calibrations of PL and PW relations to obtain distances to 22 T2C-host Galactic globular clusters, which were found to be systematically smaller by ∼0.1 mag and 0.03−0.06 mag than in the literature when the zero points are calibrated with the distance of the LMC or Gaia parallaxes, respectively. Better agreement is found between our distances and those based on RR Lyrae stars in globular clusters, providing strong support for using these population II stars together with the TRGB for future distance scale studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper JKs-band data from the VISTA Magellanic Cloud (VMC) survey are used to investigate the tip of the red giant branch (TRGB) as a distance indicator. A linear fit to recent theoretical models is used as the basis for the absolute calibration which reads MKs = −4.196 − 2.013 (J − Ks), valid in the colour range 0.75 <  (J − Ks)< 1.3 mag and in the 2MASS system. The observed TRGB is found based on a classical first-order derivative filter and a second-order derivative filter applied to the binned luminosity function using the "sharpened" magnitude that takes the colour term into account. Extensive simulations are carried out to investigate any biases and errors in the derived distance modulus (DM). Based on these simulations criteria are established related to the number of stars per bin in the 0.5 mag range below the TRGB and related to the significance with which the peak in the filter response curve is determined such that the derived distances are unbiased. The DMs based on the second-order derivative filter are found to be more stable and are therefore adopted, although this requires twice as many stars per bin. Given the surface density of TRGB stars in the Magellanic Clouds (MCs), areas of ∼0.5 deg2 in the densest parts to ∼10 deg2 in the outskirts of the MCs need to be considered to obtain accurate and reliable values for the DMs. The TRGB method is applied to specific lines-of-sight where independent distance estimates exist, based on detached eclipsing binaries in the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds (LMC, SMC), classical Cepheids in the LMC, RR Lyrae stars in the SMC, and fields in the SMC where the star formation history (together with reddening and distance) has been derived from deep VMC data. The analysis shows that the theoretical calibration is consistent with the data, that the systematic error on the DM is approximately 0.045 mag (about evenly split between the theoretical calibration and the method), and that random errors of 0.015 mag are achievable. Reddening is an important element in deriving the distance: we derive mean DMs ranging from 18.92 mag (for a typical E(B − V) of 0.15 mag) to 19.07 mag (E(B − V)∼0.04 mag) for the SMC, and ranging from 18.48 mag (E(B − V)∼0.12 mag) to 18.57 mag (E(B − V)∼0.05 mag) for the LMC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the first spatially resolved map of stellar proper motions within the central (~3.1 × 2.4 kpc) regions of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). The data used for this study encompasses four tiles from the ongoing near-infrared VISTA survey of the Magellanic Clouds system and covers a total contiguous area on the sky of ~6.81 deg2. Proper motions have been calculated independently in two dimensions from the spatial offsets in the Ks filter over time baselines between 22 and 27 months. The reflex motions of approximately 33 000 background galaxies are used to calibrate the stellar motions to an absolute scale. The resulting catalog is composed of more than 690 000 stars which have been selected based on their position in the (J - Ks; Ks) color-magnitude diagram. For the median absolute proper motion of the SMC, we find (μαcos(δ), μδ) = (1.087 ± 0.192 (sys.) ± 0.003 (stat.), -1.187 ± 0.008 (sys.) ± 0.003 (stat.)) mas yr-1, consistent with previous studies. Mapping the proper motions as a function of position within the SMC reveals a nonuniform velocity pattern indicative of a tidal feature behind the main body of the SMC and a flow of stars in the south-east moving predominantly along the line-of-sight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. Proper motion (PM) studies are fundamental ingredients in the understanding of the orbital history of galaxies. Current measurements do not yet provide a satisfactory answer to the possible scenarios for the formation and evolution of the Magellanic Clouds and of the Bridge and Stream that link them with each other and with our Galaxy. Aims. We use multi-epoch near-infrared observations from the VISTA survey of the Magellanic Cloud system (VMC) to measure the PM of stars of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), in one tile of 1.5 deg² centred at (α, δ) = (05:59:23.136, -66:20:28.68) and including the south ecliptic pole, with respect to their Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) position over a time baseline of about 10 years. Proper motions from VMC observations only, spanning a time range of about 1 year, are also derived. Methods. Stars of different ages are selected from the colour-magnitude diagram, (J - Ks) vs. Ks, and their average coordinate displacement is computed from the difference between Ks band observations from VMC and 2MASS or among VMC data alone for stars as faint as Ks = 19 mag. Proper motions are derived by averaging up to seven 2MASS-VMC combinations in the first case and from the slope of the best-fit line among the seven VMC epochs in the second case. Separate PM values are obtained for Cepheids, RR Lyrae stars, long period variables, and eclipsing binary stars in the field. Results. The PM of ~40 000 LMC stars in the tile, with respect to ~8000 background galaxies, obtained from VMC data alone, is μα cos (δ) = +2.20 ± 0.06 (stat) ±0.29 (sys) and μδ = +1.70 ± 0.06 (stat) ±0.30 (sys) mas yr-1. This value agrees with recent ground-based determinations, but is larger than studies with the Hubble Space Telescope; this discrepancy may be due to additional systematic errors in the data. Our result implies either higher tangential motion or higher internal motion, or a combination of these, although we cannot discuss these possibilities quantitatively based on one field. The PM of the LMC is also clearly distinct from the PM derived for stars in the Milky Way foreground. The relative PM between the foreground stars and the LMC stars is ~5 masyr-1. Furthermore, we measure a decrease in the PM with increasing logarithm of stellar age for LMC stars. Conclusions. This study, based on just one VMC tile, shows the potential of the 2MASS-VMC and VMC-VMC combinations for a comprehensive investigation of PM across the Magellanic system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. The details of how galaxies have evolved over cosmological times are imprinted in their star formation history, chemical enrichment and morpho-kinematic structure. Parameters behind these, such as effective temperature and metallicity, can be measured by combining photometric techniques with modelling. However, there are uncertainties with this indirect approach from the ambiguity of colour and magnitude and the effects of interstellar reddening. Aims. In this paper we present a detailed reddening map of the central 30 Doradus region of the Large Magellanic Cloud; for both community use and as a test of the methods used for future use on a wider area. The reddening, a measurement of dust extinction, acts as a tracer of the interstellar medium (ISM). Methods. Near-infrared (NIR) photometry of the red clump stars is used to measure reddening as their fixed luminosity and intermediate age make extinction the dominant cause of colour and magnitude variance. The star formation history derived previously from these data is used to produce an intrinsic colour to act as a zero point in converting colour to reddening values E(J - Ks) which are subsequently converted to visual extinction AV. Results. Presented is a dust map for the 30 Doradus field in both AV and E(J - Ks). This map samples a region of 1° × 1.°5, containing ∼1.5 × 105 red clump stars which probe reddening up to AV ≃ 6 mag. We compare our map with maps from the literature, including optical extinction maps and radio, mid- and far-infrared maps of atomic hydrogen and dust emission. Through estimation of column density we locate molecular clouds. Conclusions. This new reddening map shows correlation with equivalent maps in the literature, validating the method of red clump star selection. We make our reddening map available for community use. In terms of ISM the red clump stars appear to be more affected by the cooler dust measured by 70 μm emission because there is stronger correlation between increasing emission and extinction due to red clump stars not being located near hot stars that would heat the dust. The transition from atomic hydrogen to molecular hydrogen occurs between densities of NH ≃ 4 × 1021 cm-2 and NH ≃ 6 × 1021 cm-2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We derive the star formation history (SFH) for several regions of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), using deep near-infrared data from the VISTA near-infrared YJKs survey of the Magellanic system (VMC). The regions include three almost-complete 1.4 deg2 tiles located ∼3.5° away from the LMC centre in distinct directions. They are split into 21.0' ×21.5' (0.12 deg2) subregions, and each of these is analysed independently. To this dataset, we add two 11.3' ×11.3' (0.036 deg2) subregions selected based on their small and uniform extinction inside the 30 Doradus tile. The SFH is derived from the simultaneous reconstruction of two different colour-magnitude diagrams (CMDs), using the minimization code StarFISH together with a database of "partial models" representing the CMDs of LMC populations of various ages and metallicities, plus a partial model for the CMD of the Milky Way foreground. The distance modulus (m-M)0 and extinction AV is varied within intervals ∼0.2 and ∼0.5 mag wide, respectively, within which we identify the best-fitting star formation rate SFR(t) as a function of lookback time t, age-metallicity relation (AMR), (m-M)0 and AV. Our results demonstrate that VMC data, due to the combination of depth and little sensitivity to differential reddening, allow the derivation of the space-resolved SFH of the LMC with unprecedented quality compared to previous wide-area surveys. In particular, the data clearly reveal the presence of peaks in the SFR(t) at ages log(t/yr) ≃ 9.3 and 9.7, which appear in most of the subregions. The most recent SFR(t) is found to vary greatly from subregion to subregion, with the general trend of being more intense in the innermost LMC, except for the tile next to the N11 complex. In the bar region, the SFR(t) seems remarkably constant over the time interval from log(t/yr) ≃ 8.4 to 9.7. The AMRs, instead, turn out to be remarkably similar across the LMC. Thanks to the accuracy in determining the distance modulus for every subregion - with typical errors of just ∼0.03 mag - we make a first attempt to derive a spatial model of the LMC disk. The fields studied so far are fit extremely well by a single disk of inclination i = 26.2 ±2.0°, position angle of the line of nodes ϴ0 = 129.1×13.0°, and distance modulus of (m-M)0 = 18.470×0.006 mag (random errors only) up to the LMC centre. We show that once the (m-M)0 values or each subregion are assumed to be identical to those derived from this best-fitting plane, systematic errors in the SFR(t) and AMR are reduced by a factor of about two [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. Asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars are major contributors to both the chemical enrichment of the interstellar medium and the integrated light of galaxies. Despite its importance, the AGB is one of the least understood phases of stellar evolution. The main difficulties associated with detailed modelling of the AGB are related to the mass-loss process and the 3rd dredge-up efficiency Aims. We provide direct measures of mass-loss rates and luminosities for a complete sample of AGB stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud, disentangling the C- and O-rich stellar populations. Methods. Dust radiative transfer models are presented for all 374 AGB stars candidates in one of the fields observed by the new VISTA survey of the Magellanic Clouds (VMC). Mass-loss rates, luminosities and a classification of C- and O-rich stars are derived by fitting the models to the spectral energy distribution (SED) obtained by combining VMC data with existing optical, near-, and mid-infrared photometry. Results. The classification technique is reliable at a level of - at worst - 75% and significantly better for the reddest dusty stars. We classified none of the stars with a relevant mass-loss rate as O-rich, and we can exclude the presence of more than one dusty O-rich star at a ∼94% level. The bolometric luminosity function we obtained is fully consistent with most of the literature data on the LMC and with the prediction of theoretical models, with a peak of the C-star distribution at Mbol ≃ -4.8 mag and no stars brighter than the classical AGB tip, at Mbol = -7.1 mag. Conclusions. This exploratory study shows that our method provides reliable mass-loss rates, luminosities and chemical classifications for all AGB stars. These results offer already important constraints to AGB evolutionary models. Most of our conclusions, especially for the rarer dust-enshrouded extreme AGB stars, are however strongly limited by the relatively small area covered by our study. Forthcoming VMC observations will easily remove this limitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]