arXiv subjects

S. Rubele

Publications and source records attributed to S. Rubele.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2021

The VMC Survey -- XLII. Near-infrared period-luminosity relations for RR Lyrae stars and the structure of the Large Magellanic Cloud

We present results from an analysis of $\sim$ 29,000 RR Lyrae stars located in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). For these objects, near-infrared time-series photometry from the VISTA survey of the Magellanic Clouds system (VMC) and optical data from the OGLE (Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment) IV survey and the Gaia Data Release 2 catalogue of confirmed RR Lyrae stars were exploited. Using VMC and OGLE IV magnitudes we derived period-luminosity (PL), period-luminosity-metallicity (PLZ), period-Wesenheit (PW) and period-Wesenheit-metallicity (PWZ) relations in all available bands. More that ~7,000 RR Lyrae were discarded from the analysis because they appear to be overluminous with respect to the PL relations. The $PL_{K_{\mathrm{s}}}$ relation was used to derive individual distance to $\sim 22,000$ RR Lyrae stars, and study the three-dimensional structure of the LMC. The distribution of the LMC RR Lyrae stars is ellipsoidal with the three axis $S_1$=6.5 kpc, $S_2$=4.6 kpc and $S_3$=3.7 kpc, inclination i=$22\pm4^{\circ }$ relative to the plane of the sky and position angle of the line of nodes $θ=167\pm7^{\circ }$ (measured from north to east). The north-eastern part of the ellipsoid is closer to us and no particular associated substructures are detected as well as any metallicity gradient.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2021

The VMC survey -- XLI. Stellar proper motions within the Small Magellanic Cloud

We used data from the near-infrared VISTA survey of the Magellanic Cloud system (VMC) to measure proper motions (PMs) of stars within the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). The data analysed in this study comprise 26 VMC tiles, covering a total contiguous area on the sky of ~40 deg$^2$. Using multi-epoch observations in the Ks band over time baselines between 13 and 38 months, we calculated absolute PMs with respect to ~130,000 background galaxies. We selected a sample of ~2,160,000 likely SMC member stars to model the centre-of-mass motion of the galaxy. The results found for three different choices of the SMC centre are in good agreement with recent space-based measurements. Using the systemic motion of the SMC, we constructed spatially resolved residual PM maps and analysed for the first time the internal kinematics of the intermediate-age/old and young stellar populations separately. We found outward motions that point either towards a stretching of the galaxy or stripping of its outer regions. Stellar motions towards the North might be related to the "Counter Bridge" behind the SMC. The young populations show larger PMs in the region of the SMC Wing, towards the young Magellanic Bridge. In the older populations, we further detected a coordinated motion of stars away from the SMC in the direction of the Old Bridge as well as a stream towards the SMC.

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arXiv2020

The VMC Survey -- XL. Three-dimensional structure of the Small Magellanic Cloud as derived from red clump stars

Galaxy interactions distort the distribution of baryonic matter and can affect star formation. The nearby Magellanic Clouds are a prime example of an ongoing galaxy interaction process. Here we use the intermediate-age ($\sim1$-$10$ Gyr) red clump stars to map the three-dimensional structure of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) and interpret it within the context of its history of interaction with the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and the Milky Way. Red clump stars are selected from near-infrared colour-magnitude diagrams based on data from the VISTA survey of the Magellanic Clouds. Interstellar reddening is measured and removed, and the corrected brightness is converted to a distance, on a star-by-star basis. A flat plane fitted to the spatial distribution of red clump stars has an inclination $i=35°$-$48°$ and position angle PA$=170°$-$186°$. However, significant deviations from this plane are seen, especially in the periphery and on the eastern side of the SMC. In the latter part, two distinct populations are present, separated in distance by as much as 10 kpc. Distant red clump stars are seen in the North of the SMC, and possibly also in the far West; these might be associated with the predicted `Counter-Bridge'. We also present a dust reddening map, which shows that dust generally traces stellar mass. The structure of the intermediate-age stellar component of the SMC bears the imprints of strong interaction with the LMC a few Gyr ago, which cannot be purely tidal but must have involved ram pressure stripping.

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arXiv2020

Gaia Early Data Release 3 -- Catalogue validation

The third Gaia data release is published in two stages. The early part, Gaia EDR3, gives very precise astrometric and photometric properties for nearly two billion sources together with seven million radial velocities from Gaia DR2. The full release, Gaia DR3, will add radial velocities, spectra, light curves, and astrophysical parameters for a large subset of the sources, as well as orbits for solar system objects. Before the publication of the catalogue, many different data items have undergone dedicated validation processes. The goal of this paper is to describe the validation results in terms of completeness, accuracy, and precision for the Gaia EDR3 data and to provide recommendations for the use of the catalogue data. The validation processes include a systematic analysis of the catalogue contents to detect anomalies, either individual errors or statistical properties, using statistical analysis and comparisons to the previous release as well as to external data and to models. Gaia EDR3 represents a major step forward, compared to Gaia DR2, in terms of precision, accuracy, and completeness for both astrometry and photometry. We provide recommendations for dealing with issues related to the parallax zero point, negative parallaxes, photometry for faint sources, and the quality indicators.

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arXiv2018

The VMC survey XXX. Stellar proper motions in the central parts of the Small Magellanic Cloud

We present the first spatially resolved map of stellar proper motions within the central ($\sim$3.1 $\times$ 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 $\sim$6.81 deg$^2$. Proper motions have been calculated independently in two dimensions from the spatial offsets in the $K_s$ filter over time baselines between 22 and 27 months. The reflex motions of $\sim$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 $(J-K_s, K_s)$ color-magnitude diagram. For the median absolute proper motion of the SMC, we find ($μ_α\mathrm{cos}(δ)$, $μ_δ$) = (1.087 $\pm$ 0.192 (sys.) $\pm$ 0.003 (stat.), $-$1.187 $\pm$ 0.008 (sys.) $\pm$ 0.003 (stat.)) mas yr$^{-1}$, consistent with previous studies. Mapping the proper motions as a function of position within the SMC reveals a non uniform 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.

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arXiv2018

The VMC survey XXVIII. Improved measurements of the proper motion of the Galactic globular cluster 47 Tucanae

We use deep multi-epoch PSF photometry taken with the Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy (VISTA) to measure and analyze the proper motions of stars within the Galactic globular cluster 47 Tucanae (47 Tuc, NGC 104). The observations are part of the ongoing near-infrared VISTA survey of the Magellanic Cloud system (VMC). The data analyzed here corresponds to one VMC tile and covers a total sky area of 1.77 deg^2. Absolute proper motions with respect to ~9070 background galaxies are calculated from a linear regression model applied to the stellar positions in 11 epochs in the Ks filter. The data extend over a total time baseline of ~17 months. We found a median proper motion of the stars within 47 Tuc of (mu_a cos(d), mu_d) = (+5.89 +/- 0.02(stat) +/- 0.13(sys), -2.14 +/- 0.02(stat) +/- 0.08(sys)) mas/yr, based on the measurements of ~35000 individual sources between 5' and 42' from the cluster center. We compared our result to the proper motions from the newest US Naval Observatory CCD Astrograph Catalog (UCAC5) which includes data from the Gaia data release 1. Selecting cluster members (~2700 stars) we found a median proper motion of (mu_a cos(d), mu_d) = (+5.30 +/- 0.03(stat) +/- 0.70(sys), -2.70 +/- 0.03(stat) +/- 0.70(sys)) mas/yr. The values derived from the VMC data are consistent with the UCAC5 result, and are close to literature measurements obtained using HST. We combined our results with literature radial velocity measurements and reconstructed the orbit of 47 Tuc, finding that the cluster is on a low-ellipticity orbit and is confined within the inner ~7.5 kpc of the Galaxy. We show that the use of an increased time baseline combined with PSF-determined stellar centroids in crowded regions significantly improves the accuracy of the method. In future works, we will apply this method to more VMC tiles to study in detail the kinematics of the Magellanic Clouds.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2016

The VMC Survey - XX. Identification of new Cepheids in the Small Magellanic Cloud

We present Ks -band light curves for 299 Cepheids in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) of which 288 are new discoveries that we have identified using multi-epoch near-infrared photometry obtained by the VISTA survey of the Magellanic Clouds system (VMC). The new Cepheids have periods in the range from 0.34 to 9.1 days and cover the magnitude interval 12.9 <= Ks <= 17.6 mag. Our method was developed using variable stars previously identified by the optical microlensing survey OGLE. We focus on searching new Cepheids in external regions of the SMC for which complete VMC Ks-band observations are available and no comprehensive identification of different types of variable stars from other surveys exists yet.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2015

The VMC survey - XV. The Small Magellanic Cloud--Bridge connection history as traced by their star cluster populations

We present results based on YJKs photometry of star clusters located in the outermost, eastern region of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). We analysed a total of 51 catalogued clusters whose colour--magnitude diagrams (CMDs), having been cleaned from field-star contamination, were used to assess the clusters' reality and estimate ages of the genuine systems. Based on CMD analysis, 15 catalogued clusters were found to be possible non-genuine aggregates. We investigated the properties of 80% of the catalogued clusters in this part of the SMC by enlarging our sample with previously obtained cluster ages, adopting a homogeneous scale for all. Their spatial distribution suggests that the oldest clusters, log(t yr-1) >= 9.6, are in general located at greater distances to the galaxy's centre than their younger counterparts -- 9.0 <= log(t yr-1) <= 9.4 -- while two excesses of clusters are seen at log(t yr-1) ~ 9.2 and log(t yr-1) ~ 9.7. We found a trail of younger clusters which follow the Wing/Bridge components. This long spatial sequence does not only harbour very young clusters, log(t yr-1) ~ 7.3, but it also hosts some of intermediate ages, log(t yr-1) ~ 9.1. The derived cluster and field-star formation frequencies as a function of age are different. The most surprising feature is an observed excess of clusters with ages of log(t yr-1) < 9.0, which could have been induced by interactions with the LMC.

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arXiv2014

The VMC ESO Public Survey

The VISTA near-infrared YJKs survey of the Magellanic Clouds system (VMC) has entered its core phase: about 40% of the observations across the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds (LMC, SMC), the Magellanic Bridge and Stream have already been secured and the data are processed and analysed regularly. The initial analyses, concentrated in the first two completed tiles in the LMC (6_6 including 30 Doradus and 8_8 including the South Ecliptic Pole), show the superior quality of the data. The depth of the VMC survey allows the derivation of the star formation history (SFH) with unprecedented quality compared to previous wide-area surveys while reddening maps of high angular resolution are constructed using red clump stars. The multi-epoch Ks-band data reveal tight period-luminosity relations for variable stars and they permit the measurement of accurate proper motions of the stellar populations. The VMC survey continues to acquire data that will address many issues in the field of star and galaxy evolution.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2013

The VMC survey -IX. Pilot study of the proper motion of stellar populations in the LMC from 2MASS and VISTA data

We use multi-epoch near-infrared observations from the VISTA survey of the Magellanic Cloud system (VMC) to measure the proper motion of stars of the LMC, in one tile of 1.5 deg^2 centred at (alpha, delta) = (05:59:23.136, -66:20:28.68) and including the South Ecliptic Pole, with respect to their 2MASS position over a time baseline of ~10 years and from VMC observations only, spanning a time range of ~1 year. Stars of different ages are selected from the (J-Ks) vs. Ks diagram and their average coordinate displacement is computed from the difference between Ks band observations 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 proper motion values are obtained for variable stars in the field. The proper motion of ~40,000 LMC stars in the tile, with respect to ~8000 background galaxies, obtained from VMC data alone, is mu_alpha cos(delta) = +2.20+/-0.06 (stat) +/-0.29 (sys) and mu_delta = +1.70+/-0.06 (stat) +/-0.30 (sys) mas/yr. This value agrees with recent ground-based determinations in a nearby field but is larger than studies with the HST; the cause of this discrepancy may be due to additional systematic errors in the data. The LMC proper motion is also clearly distinct from the proper motion derived for stars of the Milky Way. The relative proper motion between the foreground stars and the LMC stars is ~5 mas/yr. Furthermore, we measure a decrease of the proper motion with increasing logarithm of stellar age for LMC stars. This study, based on just one VMC tile, shows the potential of the 2MASS-VMC and VMC-VMC combinations for a comprehensive investigation of the proper motion across the Magellanic system. (Abridged)

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2013

The VMC Survey - X. Cepheids, RR Lyrae stars and binaries as probes of the Magellanic System's structure

The VMC survey is obtaining multi-epoch photometry in the Ks band of the Magellanic System down to a limiting magnitude of Ks ~ 19.3 for individual epoch data. The observations are spaced in time such as to provide optimal sampling of the light curves for RR Lyrae stars and for Cepheids with periods up to 20-30 days. We present examples of the Ks-band light curves of Classical Cepheids and RR Lyrae stars we are obtaining from the VMC data and outline the strategy we put in place to measure distances and infer the System three-dimensional geometry from the variable stars. For this purpose the near-infrared Period-Luminosity, Period-Wesenheit, and Period-Luminosity-Colour relations of the system RR Lyrae stars and Cepheids are used. We extensively exploit the catalogues of the Magellanic Clouds' variable stars provided by the EROS-2 and OGLE III/IV microlensing surveys. By combining these surveys we present the currently widest-area view of the Large Magellanic Cloud as captured by the galaxy Cepheids, RR Lyrae stars and binaries. This reveals the full extent of the main structures (bar/s - spiral arms) that have only been vaguely guessed before. Our work strengthens the case for a detailed study of the Large Magellanic Cloud three-dimensional geometry.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2013

The VMC survey VII. Reddening map of the 30 Doradus field and the structure of the cold interstellar medium

Context: The details of how galaxies have evolved are imprinted in their star formation history, chemical enrichment and morpho-kinematic structure. Parameters behind these can be measured by combining photometric techniques with modelling. However, there are uncertainties 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 community use and to test the methods used. The reddening, a measurement of dust extinction, acts as a tracer of the interstellar medium (ISM). Methods: Near infrared photometry of red clump stars are used to measure reddening as extinction is the main cause of their colour and magnitude variance. The star formation history is used to convert colour to reddening values which are subsequently converted to visual extinction. Results: Presented is a dust map for the 30 Doradus field. This map samples a region of 1x1.5 deg, containing ~1.5x10^5 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 micron 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=4x10^21 to 6x10^21 cm^-2.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2012

The VMC Survey - VI. Quasars behind the Magellanic system

The number and spatial distribution of confirmed quasi-stellar objects (QSOs) behind the Magellanic system is limited. This undermines their use as astrometric reference objects for different types of studies. We have searched for criteria to identify candidate QSOs using observations from the VISTA survey of the Magellanic Clouds system (VMC) that provides photometry in the YJKs bands and 12 epochs in the Ks band. The (Y-J) versus (J-Ks) diagram has been used to distinguish QSO candidates from Milky Way stars and stars of the Magellanic Clouds. Then, the slope of variation in the Ks band has been used to identify a sample of high confidence candidates. These criteria were developed based on the properties of 117 known QSOs presently observed by the VMC survey. VMC YJKs magnitudes and Ks light-curves of known QSOs behind the Magellanic system are presented. About 75% of them show a slope of variation in Ks>10^-4 mag/day and the shape of the light-curve is in general irregular and without any clear periodicity. The number of QSO candidates found in tiles including the South Ecliptic Pole and the 30 Doradus regions is 22 and 26, respectively, with a ~20% contamination by young stellar objects, planetary nebulae, stars and normal galaxies. By extrapolating the number of QSO candidates to the entire VMC survey area we expect to find about 1200 QSOs behind the LMC, 400 behind the SMC, 200 behind the Bridge and 30 behind the Stream areas, but not all will be suitable for astrometry. Further, the Ks band light-curves can help support investigations of the mechanism responsible for the variations.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2012

PARSEC: stellar tracks and isochrones with the PAdova and TRieste Stellar Evolution Code

We present the updated version of the code used to compute stellar evolutionary tracks in Padova. It is the result of a thorough revision of the major input physics, together with the inclusion of the pre-main sequence phase, not present in our previous releases of stellar models. Another innovative aspect is the possibility of promptly generating accurate opacity tables fully consistent with any selected initial chemical composition, by coupling the OPAL opacity data at high temperatures to the molecular opacities computed with our AESOPUS code (Marigo & Aringer 2009). In this work we present extended sets of stellar evolutionary models for various initial chemical compositions, while other sets with different metallicities and/or different distributions of heavy elements are being computed. For the present release of models we adopt the solar distribution of heavy elements from the recent revision by Caffau et al. (2011), corresponding to a Sun's metallicity Z=0.0152. From all computed sets of stellar tracks, we also derive isochrones in several photometric systems. The aim is to provide the community with the basic tools to model star clusters and galaxies by means of population synthesis techniques.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2012

The VMC Survey. V. First results for Classical Cepheids

The VISTA Magellanic Cloud (VMC, PI M.R. Cioni) survey is collecting deep Ks-band time-series photometry of the pulsating variable stars hosted by the system formed by the two Magellanic Clouds (MCs) and the "bridge" connecting them. In this paper we present the first results for Classical Cepheids, from the VMC observations of two fields in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). The VMC Ks-band light curves of the Cepheids are well sampled (12-epochs) and of excellent precision. We were able to measure for the first time the Ks magnitude of the faintest Classical Cepheids in the LMC (Ks\sim17.5 mag), which are mostly pulsating in the First Overtone (FO) mode, and to obtain FO Period-Luminosity (PL), Period-Wesenheit (PW), and Period-Luminosity-Color (PLC) relations, spanning the full period range from 0.25 to 6 day. Since the longest period Cepheid in our dataset has a variability period of 23 day, we have complemented our sample with literature data for brighter F Cepheids. On this basis we have built a PL relation in the Ks band that, for the first time, includes short period pulsators, and spans the whole range from 1.6 to 100 days in period. We also provide the first ever empirical PW and PLC relations using the (V-Ks) color and time-series Ks photometry. The very small dispersion (\sim0.07 mag) of these relations makes them very well suited to study the three-dimensional (3D) geometry of the Magellanic system. The use of "direct" (parallax- and Baade-Wesselink- based) distance measurements to both Galactic and LMC Cepheids, allowed us to calibrate the zero points of the PL, PW, and PLC relations obtained in this paper, and in turn to estimate an absolute distance modulus of (m-M)0=18.46\pm0.03 for the LMC. This result is in agreement with most of the latest literature determinations based on Classical Cepheids.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2011

The VMC Survey IV. The LMC star formation history and disk geometry from four VMC tiles

We derive the star formation history for several regions of the 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 sqdeg tiles located 3.5 deg away from the LMC centre in distinct directions. To this dataset, we add two 0.036 sqdeg subregions inside the 30 Doradus tile. The SFH is derived from the simultaneous reconstruction of two different CMDs, using the minimization code StarFISH. 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), 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 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 seems remarkably constant over the time interval from 8.4 to 9.7. The AMRs, instead, turn out to be remarkably similar across the LMC. The fields studied so far are fit extremely well by a single disk of inclination 26.2+-2.0 deg, position angle of the line of nodes 129.1+-13.0 deg, and distance modulus of 18.470+-0.006 mag (random errors only) up to the LMC centre.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2011

The VMC Survey - I. Strategy and First Data

The new VISual and Infrared Telescope for Astronomy (VISTA) has started operations. Over its first five years it will be collecting data for six public surveys, one of these is the near-infrared YJKsVISTA survey of the Magellanic Clouds system (VMC). This survey comprises the LMC, the SMC, the Bridge connecting the two galaxies and two fields in the Stream. This paper provides an overview of the VMC survey strategy and presents first science results. The main goals of the VMC survey are the determination of the spatially resolved SFH and 3D structure of the Magellanic system. Therefore, the VMC survey is designed to reach stars as faint as the oldest main sequence turn-off point and to constrain the mean magnitude of pulsating variable stars such as RR Lyrae stars and Cepheids. This paper focuses on observations of VMC fields in the LMC obtained between November 2009 and March 2010. These observations correspond to a 7% completeness of the LMC fields. The VMC observations consist of multi-epoch measurements organised following a specific structure. The data were reduced using the VISTA Data Flow System pipeline whose source catalogues were produced and made available via the VISTA Science Archive. The analysis of the data shows that the sensitivity in each wave band agrees with expectations. Uncertainties and completeness of the data are also derived. The first science results, aimed at assessing the science quality of the VMC data, include an overview of the distribution of stars in colour-magnitude and colour-colour diagrams, the detection of planetary nebulae and of stellar clusters, and the Ks band light-curve of variable stars. The VMC survey represents a tremendous improvement, in spatial resolution and sensitivity, on previous panoramic observations of the Magellanic system in the near-infrared and complements nicely the deep observations at other wavelengths. (Abridged)

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2009

On the Recovery of the Star Formation History of the LMC from the VISTA Survey of the Magellanic System

The VISTA near infrared survey of the Magellanic System (VMC) will provide deep YJKs photometry reaching stars in the oldest turn-off point all over the Magellanic Clouds (MCs). As part of the preparation for the survey, we aim to access the accuracy in the Star Formation History (SFH) that can be expected from VMC data, in particular for the LMC. To this aim, we first simulate VMC images containing not only the LMC stellar populations but also the foreground MW stars and background galaxies. We perform aperture photometry over these simulated images, access the expected levels of photometric errors and incompleteness, and apply the classical technique of SFH-recovery based on the reconstruction of colour-magnitude diagrams (CMD) via the minimization of a chi-squared-like statistics. We then evaluate the expected errors in the recovered star formation rate as a function of stellar age, SFR(t), starting from models with a known Age--Metallicity Relation (AMR). It turns out that, for a given sky area, the random errors for ages older than ~0.4 Gyr seem to be independent of the crowding. For a spatial resolution of ~0.1 sqdeg, the random errors in SFR(t) will be below 20% for this wide range of ages. On the other hand, due to the smaller stellar statistics for stars younger than ~0.4 Gyr, the outer LMC regions will require larger areas to achieve the same level of accuracy in the SFR(t). If we consider the AMR as unknown, the SFH-recovery algorithm is able to accurately recover the input AMR, at the price of an increase of random errors in the SFR(t) by a factor of about 2.5. Experiments of SFH-recovery performed for varying distance modulus and reddening indicate that the propagation of the errors in these parameters in the SFR(t) implies systematic errors below 30%.

astro-ph.CO↗