skip to main content


Title: Zwicky Transient Facility and Globular Clusters: the Period-Luminosity and Period-Luminosity-Color Relations for Late-Type Contact Binaries
In this work, we aimed to derive the gri-band period-luminosity (PL) and period-luminosity-color (PLC) relations for late-type contact binaries, for the first time, located in the globular clusters, using the homogeneous light curves collected by the Zwicky Transient Factory (ZTF). We started with 79 contact binaries in 15 globular clusters, and retained 30 contact binaries in 10 globular clusters that have adequate number of data points in the ZTF light curves and unaffected by blending. Magnitudes at mean and maximum light of these contact binaries were determined using a fourth-order Fourier expansion, while extinction corrections were done using the {\tt Bayerstar2019} 3D reddening map together with adopting the homogeneous distances to their host globular clusters. After removing early-type and "anomaly" contact binaries, our derived gri-band PL and period-Wesenheit (PW) relations exhibit a much larger dispersion with large errors on the fitted coefficients. Nevertheless, the gr-band PL and PW relations based on this small sample of contact binaries in globular clusters were consistent with those based on a larger sample of nearby contact binaries. Good agreements of the PL and PW relations suggested both samples of contact binaries in the local Solar neighborhood and in the distant globular clusters can be combined and used to derive and calibrate the PL, PW and PLC relations. The final derived gr-band PL, PW and PLC relations were much improved than those based on the limited sample of contact binaries in the globular clusters.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1440341 2034437
NSF-PAR ID:
10280440
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
ArXivorg
ISSN:
2331-8422
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. Abstract We present the first gri -band period–luminosity (PL) and period–Wesenheit (PW) relations for 37 Type II Cepheids (TIICs) located in 18 globular clusters based on photometric data from the Zwicky Transient Facility. We also updated BVIJHK -band absolute magnitudes for 58 TIICs in 24 globular clusters using the latest homogeneous distances to the globular clusters. The slopes of g / r / i - and B / V / I -band PL relations are found to be statistically consistent when using the same sample of distance and reddening. We employed the calibration of ri -band PL/PW relations in globular clusters to estimate a distance to M31 based on a sample of ∼270 TIICs from the PAndromeda project. The distance modulus to M31, obtained using calibrated ri -band PW relation, agrees well with the recent determination based on classical Cepheids. However, distance moduli derived using the calibrated r - and i -band PL relations are systematically smaller by ∼0.2 mag, suggesting there are possible additional systematic errors on the PL relations. Finally, we also derive the period–color (PC) relations and for the first time the period–Q-index (PQ) relations, where the Q -index is reddening free, for our sample of TIICs. The PC relations based on ( r − i ) and near-infrared colors and the PQ relations are found to be relatively independent of the pulsation periods. 
    more » « less
  2. Abstract

    SX Phoenicis (SXP) variables are short-period pulsating stars that exhibit a period–luminosity (PL) relation. We derived thegri-band PL and extinction-free period–Wesenheit (PW) relations, as well as the period-color and reddening-free period-Q-index relations for 47 SXP stars located in 21 globular clusters, using the optical light curves taken from Zwicky Transient Facility. These empirical relations were derived for the first time in thegrifilters except for theg-band PL relation. We used ourgi-band PL and PW relations to derive a distance modulus to Crater II dwarf spheroidal which hosts one SXP variable. Assuming that the fundamental and first-overtone pulsation mode for the SXP variable in Crater II, we found distance moduli of 20.03 ± 0.23 mag and 20.37 ± 0.24 mag, respectively, using the PW relation, where the latter is in excellent agreement with independent RR Lyrae based distance to Crater II dwarf galaxy.

     
    more » « less
  3. Abstract

    Based on time-series observations collected from the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF), we derived period–luminosity–metallicity (PLZ) and period–Wesenheit–metallicity (PWZ) relations for RR Lyrae located in globular clusters. We have applied various selection criteria to exclude RR Lyrae with problematic or spurious light curves. These selection criteria utilized information on the number of data points per light curve, amplitudes, colors, and residuals on the period–luminosity and/or period–Wesenheit relations. Due to blending, a number of RR Lyrae in globular clusters were found to be anomalously bright and have small amplitudes of their ZTF light curves. We used our final sample of ∼750 RR Lyrae in 46 globular clusters covering a wide metallicity range (−2.36 dex < [Fe/H] < −0.54 dex) to derive PLZ and PWZ relations in thegribands. In addition, we have also derived the period–color–metallicity and, for the first time, the period-Q-index-metallicity relations, where theQ-index is extinction-free by construction. We have compared our various relations to empirical and theoretical relations available in the literature and found a good agreement with most studies. Finally, we applied our derived PLZ relation to a dwarf galaxy, Crater II, and found that its true distance modulus should be larger than the most recent determination.

     
    more » « less
  4. Abstract

    Based on 14 Miras located in seven globular clusters, we derived the firstgr-band period–luminosity (PL) at maximum light for the large-amplitude Mira variables using the multiyear light-curve data collected from the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF). Since Miras are red variables, we applied a color-term correction to subsets of ZTF light curves, and found that such corrections do not have a large impact on period determinations. We applied our derived PL relations to the known extragalactic Miras in five local galaxies (Sextans, Leo I, Leo II, NGC 6822 and IC 1613), and determined their Mira-based distances. We demonstrated that our PL relations can be applied to short-period (≲300 days) Miras, including those in the two most distant galaxies (NGC 6822 and IC 1613) in our sample even when only a portion of the light curves around maximum light have detections. We have also shown that the long-period extragalactic Miras do not follow the PL relations extrapolated to longer periods. Hence, our derived PL relations are only applicable to the short-period Miras, which will be discovered in abundance in local galaxies within the era of Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s Legacy Survey of Space and Time.

     
    more » « less
  5. Abstract

    We present the firstgri-band period–luminosity (PL) and period–Wesenheit (PW) relations for the fundamental mode anomalous Cepheids. These PL and PW relations were derived from a combined sample of five anomalous Cepheids in globular cluster M92 and the Large Magellanic Cloud, both of which have distance accurate to ∼1% available from literature. Ourg-band PL relation is similar to theB-band PL relation as reported in previous study. We applied our PL and PW relations to anomalous Cepheids discovered in dwarf galaxy Crater II, and found a larger but consistent distance modulus than the recent measurements based on RR Lyrae. Our calibrations ofgri-band PL and PW relations, even though less precise due to small number of anomalous Cepheids, will be useful for distance measurements to dwarf galaxies.

     
    more » « less