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ABSTRACT RR Lyrae stars have long been popular standard candles, but significant advances in methodology and technology have been made in recent years to increase their precision as distance indicators. We present multiwavelength (optical UBVRcIc and Gaia G, BP, RP; near-infrared JHKs; mid-infrared [3.6], [4.5]) period–luminosity–metallicity (PLZ), period–Wesenheit–metallicity (PWZ) relations, calibrated using photometry obtained from the Carnegie RR Lyrae Program and parallaxes from the Gaia second data release for 55 Galactic field RR Lyrae stars. The metallicity slope, which has long been predicted by theoretical relations, can now be measured in all passbands. The scatter in the PLZ relations is on the order of 0.2 mag, and is still dominated by uncertainties in the parallaxes. As a consistency check of our PLZ relations, we also measure the distance modulus to the globular cluster M4, the Large Magellanic Cloud and the Small Magellanic Cloud, and our results are in excellent agreement with estimates from previous studies.
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The Galactic bulge exploration: I. The period–absolute magnitude–metallicity relations for RR Lyrae stars for G BP , V, G, G RP , I, J, H , and K s passbands using Gaia DR3 parallaxes
We present a new set of period–absolute magnitude–metallicity (PMZ) relations for single-mode RR Lyrae stars calibrated for the opticalGBP,V,G,GRP, near-infraredI,J,H, andKspassbands. We compiled a large dataset (over 100 objects) of fundamental and first-overtone RR Lyrae pulsators consisting of mean intensity magnitudes, reddenings, pulsation properties, iron abundances, and parallaxes measured by theGaiaastrometric satellite in its third data release. Our newly calibrated PMZ relations encapsulate the most up-to-date ingredients in terms of both data and methodology. They are intended to be used in conjunction with large photometric surveys targeting the Galactic bulge, including the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment (OGLE), the Vista Variables in the Vía Láctea Survey (VVV), and theGaiacatalog. In addition, our Bayesian probabilistic approach provides accurate uncertainty estimates of the predicted absolute magnitudes of individual RR Lyrae stars. Our derived PMZ relations provide consistent results when compared to benchmark distances to globular clusters NGC 6121 (also known as M 4), NGC 5139 (also known as omega Cen), and Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, which are stellar systems rich in RR Lyrae stars. Lastly, ourKs-band PMZ relations match well with the previously published PMZ relations based onGaiadata and accurately predict the distance toward the prototype of this class of variables, the eponymic RR Lyr itself.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2009836
- PAR ID:
- 10534432
- Publisher / Repository:
- Astronomy & Astrophysics, Volume 684, id.A176, 13 pp.
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Astronomy & Astrophysics
- Volume:
- 684
- ISSN:
- 0004-6361
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- A176
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202347338
