The Period–Luminosity Relation of Long-period Variables in the Large Magellanic Cloud Observed with ATLAS

Period–luminosity (PL) relations of long-period variables (LPVs) are a powerful tool to map the distances of stars in our Galaxy, and are typically calibrated using stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). Recent results demonstrated that these relations show a strong dependence on the amplitude o...

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Main Authors: Daniel Hey, John Tonry, Benjamin Shappee, Daniel Huber
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IOP Publishing 2025-01-01
Series:The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4365/ade2e9
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author Daniel Hey
John Tonry
Benjamin Shappee
Daniel Huber
author_facet Daniel Hey
John Tonry
Benjamin Shappee
Daniel Huber
author_sort Daniel Hey
collection DOAJ
description Period–luminosity (PL) relations of long-period variables (LPVs) are a powerful tool to map the distances of stars in our Galaxy, and are typically calibrated using stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). Recent results demonstrated that these relations show a strong dependence on the amplitude of the variability, which can be used to greatly improve distance estimates. However, one of the only highly sampled catalogs of such variables in the LMC is based on Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment photometry, which does not provide all-sky coverage. Here, we provide the first measurement of the PL relation of LPVs in the LMC using photometry from the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS). We derive conversions between ugriz , Gaia, and ATLAS c and o passbands with a precision of ∼0.02 mag, which enable the measurement of reliable amplitudes with ATLAS for crowded fields. We successfully reproduce the known PL sequences A through E, and show evidence for sequence F using the ratios of amplitudes observed in both ATLAS passbands. Our work demonstrates that the ATLAS survey can recover variability in evolved red giants and lays the foundation for an all-sky distance map of the Milky Way using LPVs.
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spelling doaj-art-f19c4d98f38b4cc2b9b24fc966a71dc72025-08-20T04:03:20ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series0067-00492025-01-0128011410.3847/1538-4365/ade2e9The Period–Luminosity Relation of Long-period Variables in the Large Magellanic Cloud Observed with ATLASDaniel Hey0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3244-5357John Tonry1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2858-9657Benjamin Shappee2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4631-1149Daniel Huber3https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8832-4488Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawai’i , 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA ; dhey@hawaii.eduInstitute for Astronomy, University of Hawai’i , 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA ; dhey@hawaii.eduInstitute for Astronomy, University of Hawai’i , 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA ; dhey@hawaii.eduInstitute for Astronomy, University of Hawai’i , 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA ; dhey@hawaii.edu; Sydney Institute for Astronomy (SIfA), School of Physics, University of Sydney , NSW 2006, AustraliaPeriod–luminosity (PL) relations of long-period variables (LPVs) are a powerful tool to map the distances of stars in our Galaxy, and are typically calibrated using stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). Recent results demonstrated that these relations show a strong dependence on the amplitude of the variability, which can be used to greatly improve distance estimates. However, one of the only highly sampled catalogs of such variables in the LMC is based on Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment photometry, which does not provide all-sky coverage. Here, we provide the first measurement of the PL relation of LPVs in the LMC using photometry from the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS). We derive conversions between ugriz , Gaia, and ATLAS c and o passbands with a precision of ∼0.02 mag, which enable the measurement of reliable amplitudes with ATLAS for crowded fields. We successfully reproduce the known PL sequences A through E, and show evidence for sequence F using the ratios of amplitudes observed in both ATLAS passbands. Our work demonstrates that the ATLAS survey can recover variability in evolved red giants and lays the foundation for an all-sky distance map of the Milky Way using LPVs.https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4365/ade2e9AsteroseismologyLarge Magellanic CloudPhotometry
spellingShingle Daniel Hey
John Tonry
Benjamin Shappee
Daniel Huber
The Period–Luminosity Relation of Long-period Variables in the Large Magellanic Cloud Observed with ATLAS
The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series
Asteroseismology
Large Magellanic Cloud
Photometry
title The Period–Luminosity Relation of Long-period Variables in the Large Magellanic Cloud Observed with ATLAS
title_full The Period–Luminosity Relation of Long-period Variables in the Large Magellanic Cloud Observed with ATLAS
title_fullStr The Period–Luminosity Relation of Long-period Variables in the Large Magellanic Cloud Observed with ATLAS
title_full_unstemmed The Period–Luminosity Relation of Long-period Variables in the Large Magellanic Cloud Observed with ATLAS
title_short The Period–Luminosity Relation of Long-period Variables in the Large Magellanic Cloud Observed with ATLAS
title_sort period luminosity relation of long period variables in the large magellanic cloud observed with atlas
topic Asteroseismology
Large Magellanic Cloud
Photometry
url https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4365/ade2e9
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