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We present a detailed analysis of the Magellanic Bridge Cepheid sample constructed using the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment Collection of Variable Stars. Our updated Bridge sample contains 10 classical and 13 anomalous Cepheids. We calculate their individual distances using optical period–Wesenheit relations and construct three-dimensional maps. Classical Cepheid (CC) on-sky locations match very well neutral hydrogen and young stars distributions; thus, they add to the overall young Bridge population. In three dimensions, 8 out of 10 CCs form a bridge-like connection between the Magellanic Clouds. The other two are located slightly farther away and may constitute the Counter Bridge. We estimate ages of our Cepheids to be less than 300 Myr for from 5 up to 8 out of 10, depending on whether the rotation is included. This is in agreement with a scenario where these stars were formed in situ after the last encounter of the Magellanic Clouds. Cepheids’ proper motions reveal that they are moving away from both Large and Small Magellanic Clouds. Anomalous Cepheids are more spread than CCs in both two and three dimensions, even though they form a rather smooth connection between the Magellanic Clouds. However, this connection does not seem to be bridge-like, as there are many outliers around both Magellanic Clouds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Until now, double mode Cepheids (or beat Cepheids) were known only in the Galaxy, the Magellanic Clouds, and M33. Curiously, none of the more than 2000 Cepheids in M31 was claimed to show two pulsation modes. We conducted a systematic search for double mode Cepheids in the archival data of M31 and discovered four such objects. We identify one of the stars as a first and second overtone pulsator even though its secondary period is subject to strong aliasing. Two stars pulsate in the fundamental mode and the first overtone. Their fundamental periods are 9.392 days and 9.163 days. This makes them the first candidates for fundamental mode and first overtone Cepheids, of which double mode pulsations are caused by the 2:1 resonance of the fundamental mode and the second overtone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Milky Way is a barred spiral galaxy, with physical properties inferred from various tracers informed by the extrapolation of structures seen in other galaxies. However, the distances of these tracers are measured indirectly and are model-dependent. We constructed a map of the Milky Way in three dimensions, based on the positions and distances of thousands of classical Cepheid variable stars.This map shows the structure of our Galaxy’s young stellar population and allows us to constrain the warped shape of the Milky Way’s disk. A simple model of star formation in the spiral arms reproduces the observed distribution of Cepheids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]