arXiv subjects

Wolfgang Gieren

Publications and source records attributed to Wolfgang Gieren.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2021

Inspecting the Cepheid distance ladder: The Hubble Space Telescope distance to the SNIa host galaxy NGC 5584

The current tension between the direct and the early Universe measurements of the Hubble Constant, $H_0$, requires detailed scrutiny of all the data and methods used in the studies on both sides of the debate. The Cepheids in the type Ia supernova (SNIa) host galaxy NGC 5584 played a key role in the local measurement of $H_0$. The SH0ES project used the observations of this galaxy to derive a relation between Cepheids' periods and ratios of their amplitudes in different optical bands of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), and used these relations to analyse the light curves of the Cepheids in around half of the current sample of local SNIa host galaxies. In this work, we present an independent detailed analysis of the Cepheids in NGC 5584. We employ different tools for our photometric analysis and a completely different method for our light curve analysis, and we do not find a systematic difference between our period and mean magnitude measurements compared to those reported by SH0ES. By adopting a period-luminosity relation calibrated by the Cepheids in the Milky Way, we measure a distance modulus $μ=31.810\pm0.047$ (mag) which is in agreement with $μ=31.786\pm0.046$ (mag) measured by SH0ES. In addition, the relations we find between periods and amplitude ratios of the Cepheids in NGC 5584 are significantly tighter than those of SH0ES and their potential impact on the direct $H_0$ measurement will be investigated in future studies.

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arXiv2021

Cepheids with giant companions. I. Revealing a numerous population of double-lined binary Cepheids

Masses of classical Cepheids of 3 to 11 M$\odot$ are predicted by theory but those measured, clump between 3.6 and 5 M$\odot$. As a result, their mass-luminosity relation is poorly constrained, impeding our understanding of basic stellar physics and the Leavitt Law. All Cepheid masses come from the analysis of 11 binary systems, including only 5 double-lined and well-suited for accurate dynamical mass determination. We present a project to analyze a new, numerous group of Cepheids in double-lined binary (SB2) systems to provide mass determinations in a wide mass interval and study their evolution. We analyze a sample of 41 candidate binary LMC Cepheids spread along the P-L relation, that are likely accompanied by luminous red giants, and present indirect and direct indicators of their binarity. In a spectroscopic study of a subsample of 18 brightest candidates, for 16 we detected lines of two components in the spectra, already quadrupling the number of Cepheids in SB2 systems. Observations of the whole sample may thus lead to quadrupling all the Cepheid mass estimates available now. For the majority of our candidates, erratic intrinsic period changes dominate over the light travel-time effect due to binarity. However, the latter may explain the periodic phase modulation for 4 Cepheids. Our project paves the way for future accurate dynamical mass determinations of Cepheids in the LMC, Milky Way, and other galaxies, which will potentially increase the number of known Cepheid masses even 10-fold, hugely improving our knowledge about these important stars.

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arXiv2021

The Araucaria Project: Deep near-infrared photometric maps of Local and Sculptor Group galaxies. I. Carina, Fornax, Sculptor

Deep near-infrared $J$- and $K$-band photometry of three Local Group dwarf spheroidal galaxies: Fornax, Carina, and Sculptor, is made available for the community. Until now, these data have only been used by the Araucaria Project to determine distances using the tip of the red giant and RR Lyrae stars. Now, we present the entire data collection in a form of a database, consisting of accurate $J$- and $K$-band magnitudes, sky coordinates, ellipticity measurements, and timestamps of observations, complemented by stars' loci in their reference images. Depth of our photometry reaches about 22 mag at 5$σ$ level, and is comparable to NIR surveys, like the UKIRT Infrared Deep Sky Survey (UKIDSS) or the VISTA Hemisphere Survey (VHS). Small overlap with VHS and no overlap with UKIDSS makes our database a unique source of quality photometry.

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arXiv2020

A distance determination to the Small Magellanic Cloud with an accuracy of better than 2 percent based on late-type eclipsing binary stars

We present a new study of late-type eclipsing binary stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) undertaken with the aim of improving the distance determination to this important galaxy. A sample of 10 new detached, double-lined eclipsing binaries indentified from the OGLE variable star catalogues and consisting of F- and G-type giant components has been analysed. The absolute physical parameters of the individual components have been measured with a typical accuracy of better than 3%. All but one of the systems consist of young and intermediate population stars with masses in the range of 1.4 to 3.8 M_Sun. This new sample has been combined with five SMC eclipsing binaries previously published by our team. Distances to the binary systems were calculated using a surface brightness - color calibration. The targets form an elongated structure, highly inclined to the plane of the sky. The distance difference between the nearest and most-distant system amounts to 10 kpc with the line of sight depth reaching 7 kpc. We find tentative evidence of the existence of a spherical stellar sub-structure (core) in the SMC coinciding with its stellar center, containing about 40% of the young and intermediate age stars in the galaxy. The radial extension of this sub-structure is ~1.5 kpc. We derive a distance to the SMC center of D_SMC=62.44 +/- 0.47 (stat.) +/- 0.81 (syst.) kpc corresponding to a distance modulus (m-M)_SMC=18.977 +/- 0.016 +/- 0.028 mag, representing an accuracy of better than 2%.

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arXiv2020

The Milky Way Cepheid Leavitt law based on Gaia DR2 parallaxes of companion stars and host open cluster populations

Classical Cepheids provide the foundation for the empirical extragalactic distance ladder. Milky Way Cepheids are the only stars in this class accessible to trigonometric parallax measurements. However, the parallaxes of Cepheids from the second Gaia data release (GDR2) are affected by systematics because of the absence of chromaticity correction, and occasionally by saturation. As a proxy for the parallaxes of 36 Galactic Cepheids, we adopt either the GDR2 parallaxes of their spatially resolved companions or the GDR2 parallax of their host open cluster. This novel approach allows us to bypass the systematics on the GDR2 Cepheids parallaxes that is induced by saturation and variability. We adopt a GDR2 parallax zero-point (ZP) of -0.046 mas with an uncertainty of 0.015 mas that covers most of the recent estimates. We present new Galactic calibrations of the Leavitt law in the V, J, H, K_S , and Wesenheit W_H bands. We compare our results with previous calibrations based on non-Gaia measurements and compute a revised value for the Hubble constant anchored to Milky Way Cepheids. From an initial Hubble constant of 76.18 +/- 2.37 km/s/Mpc based on parallax measurements without Gaia, we derive a revised value by adopting companion and average cluster parallaxes in place of direct Cepheid parallaxes, and we find H_0 = 72.8 +/- 1.9 (statistical + systematics) +/- 1.9 (ZP) km/s/Mpc when all Cepheids are considered and H0 = 73.0 +/- 1.9 (statistical + systematics) +/- 1.9 (ZP) km/s/Mpc for fundamental mode pulsators only.

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arXiv2020

The Leavitt law of Milky Way Cepheids from Gaia DR2 static companion parallaxes

Classical Cepheids (CCs) are at the heart of the empirical extragalactic distance ladder. Milky Way CCs are the only stars of this class accessible to trigonometric parallax measurements. Until recently, the most accurate trigonometric parallaxes of Milky Way CCs were the HST/FGS measurements collected by Benedict et al. (2002, 2007) and HST/WFC3 measurements by Riess et al. (2018). Unfortunately, the second Gaia data release (GDR2) has not yet delivered reliable parallaxes for Galactic CCs, failing to replace the HST as the foundation of the Galactic calibrations of the Leavitt law. We aim at calibrating independently the Leavitt law of Milky Way CCs based on the GDR2 catalog of trigonometric parallaxes. As a proxy for the parallaxes of a sample of 23 Galactic CCs, we adopt the GDR2 parallaxes of their spatially resolved companions. As the latter are unsaturated, photometrically stable stars, this novel approach allows us to bypass the GDR2 bias on the parallax of the CCs that is induced by saturation and variability. We present new Galactic calibrations of the Leavitt law in the J, H, K, V, Wesenheit WH and Wesenheit WVK bands based on the GDR2 parallaxes of the CC companions. We show that the adopted value of the zero point of the GDR2 parallaxes, within a reasonable range, has a limited impact on our Leavitt law calibration.

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arXiv2020

Testing systematics of Gaia DR2 parallaxes with empirical surface brightness -- color relations applied to eclipsing binaries

Using a sample of 81 galactic, detached eclipsing binary stars we investigated the global zero-point shift of their parallaxes with the Gaia Data Release 2 (DR2) parallaxes. The stars in the sample lay in a distance range of 0.04-2 kpc from the Sun. The photometric parallaxes π_Phot of the eclipsing binaries were determined by applying a number of empirical surface brightness - color (SBC) relations calibrated on optical-infrared colors. For each SBC relation we calculated the individual differences dπ_i = (π_Gaia - π_Phot)_i and then we calculated unweighted and weighted means. As the sample covers the whole sky we interpret the weighted means as the global shifts of the Gaia DR2 parallaxes with respect to our eclipsing binary sample. Depending on the choice of the SBC relation the shifts vary from -0.094 mas to -0.025 mas. The weighted mean of the zero-point shift from all colors and calibrations used is dπ = -0.054 +/- 0.024 mas. However, the SBC relations based on (B-K) and (V-K) colors, which are the least reddening dependent and have the lowest intrinsic dispersions, give a zero-point shift of dπ = -0.031 +/- 0.011 mas in full agreement with results obtained by Lindegren et al. and Arenou et al. Our result confirms the global shift of Gaia DR2 parallaxes of dπ = -0.029 mas reported by the Gaia team, but we do not confirm the larger zero-point shift reported by a number of follow-up papers.

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arXiv2020

Empirical calibration of the reddening maps in the Magellanic Clouds

We present reddening maps of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), based on color measurements of the red clump. Reddening values of our maps were obtained by calculating the difference of the observed and intrinsic color of the red clump in both galaxies. To obtain the intrinsic color of the red clump, we used reddenings obtained from late-type eclipsing binary systems, measurements for blue supergiants and reddenings derived from Strömgren photometry of B-type stars. We obtained intrinsic color of the red clump $(V-I)_0$ = 0.838 $\pm$ 0.034 mag in the LMC, and $(V-I)_{0}$ = 0.814 $\pm$ 0.034 mag in the SMC. We prepared our map with 3 arcmin resolution, covering the central part of the LMC and SMC. The mean value of the reddening is E$(B-V)_{\mathrm{LMC}}$=0.127 mag and E$(B-V)_{\mathrm{SMC}}$=0.084 mag for the LMC and SMC, respectively. The systematic uncertainty of the average reddening value assigned to each field of our maps is 0.013 mag for both Magellanic Clouds. Our reddening values are on average higher by 0.061 mag for the LMC and 0.054 mag for the SMC, compared with the maps of Haschke et al. (2011). We also compared our values with different types of reddening tracers. Cepheids, RR Lyrae stars, early-type eclipsing binaries and other reddening estimations based on the red clump color on average show reddenings consistent with our map to within a few hundredths of magnitude.

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arXiv2020

Towards early-type eclipsing binaries as extragalactic milestones: II. NLTE spectral analysis and stellar parameters of the detached O-type system OGLE-LMC-ECL-06782 in the LMC

We combine the NLTE spectral analysis of the detached O-type eclipsing binary OGLE-LMC-ECL-06782 with the analysis of the radial velocity curve and light curve to measure an independent distance to the LMC. In our spectral analysis we study composite spectra of the system at quadrature and use the information from radial velocity and light curve about stellar gravities, radii and component flux ratio to derive effective temperature, reddening, extinction and intrinsic surface brightness. We obtain a distance modulus to the LMC of m - M = 18.53 +/- 0.04 mag. This value is 0.05 mag larger than the precision distance obtained recently from the analysis of a large sample of detached, long period late spectral type eclipsing binaries but agrees within the margin of the uncertainties. We also determine the surface brightnesses of the system components and find good agreement with the published surface brightness color relationship. A comparison of the observed stellar parameters with the prediction of stellar evolution based on the MESA stellar evolution code shows reasonable agreement, but requires a reduction of the internal angular momentum transport to match the observed rotational velocities.

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arXiv2019

Consistent radial velocities of classical Cepheids from the cross-correlation technique

Accurate radial velocities ($v_{\rm rad}$) of Cepheids are mandatory within the context of distance measurements via the Baade-Wesselink technique. The most common $v_{\rm rad}$ derivation method consists in cross-correlating the observed spectrum with a binary template and measuring a velocity on the resulting profile. Yet for Cepheids, the spectral lines selected within the template as well as the way of fitting the cross-correlation function (CCF) have a significant impact on the measured $v_{\rm rad}$. We detail the steps to compute consistent Cepheid CCFs and $v_{\rm rad}$, and we characterise the impact of Cepheid spectral properties and $v_{\rm rad}$ computation method on the resulting line profiles. We collected more than 3900 high-resolution spectra from seven different spectrographs of 64 classical Cepheids. These spectra were standardised through a single process on pre-defined wavelength ranges. We built six correlation templates selecting un-blended lines of different depths from a synthetic Cepheid spectrum, on three different wavelength ranges from 390 to 800 nm. Each spectrum was cross-correlated with these templates to build the corresponding CCFs. We derived a set of line profile observables as well as three different $v_{\rm rad}$ measurements from each CCF. This study confirms that both the template wavelength range, its mean line depth and width, and the $v_{\rm rad}$ computation method significantly impact the $v_{\rm rad}$. Deriving more robust Cepheid $v_{\rm rad}$ time series require to minimise the asymmetry of the line profile and its impact on the $v_{\rm rad}$. Centroid $v_{\rm rad}$, that exhibit slightly smaller amplitudes but significantly smaller scatter than Gaussian or biGaussian $v_{\rm rad}$, should thus be favoured. Stronger lines are also less asymmetric and lead to more robust $v_{\rm rad}$ than weaker lines.

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arXiv2018

The Araucaria Project. Multi-band calibrations of the TRGB absolute magnitude

We present new empirical calibrations of the absolute magnitude of the tip of the red giant branch (TRGB) in the optical I and near-infrared J, H, and K bands in terms of the (V-K)_0, (V-H)_0, and (J-K)_0 colors of the red giant branch. Our calibrations are based on the measurements in 19 fields in the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, which span a wide (V-K)_0 color range of the brightest part of the red giant branch. We use a simple edge detection technique based on the comparison of the star count difference in two adjacent bins with the estimated Poisson noise. Further, we include the reddening and geometrical corrections, as well as the precise and accurate to 2% distance to the Large Magellanic Cloud. The calibration based on a (V-K) colors can be a robust tool to calculate with a great precision the absolute magnitude of the TRGB.

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arXiv2018

The dynamical mass and evolutionary status of the type-II Cepheid in the eclipsing binary system OGLE-LMC-T2CEP-211 with a double-ring disk

We present the analysis of a peculiar W~Virginis (pWVir) type-II Cepheid, OGLE-LMC-T2CEP-211 ($P_{puls}=9.393\,d$), in a double-lined binary system ($P_{orb}=242\,d$), which shed light on virtually unknown evolutionary status and structure of pWVir stars. The dynamical mass of the Cepheid (first ever for a type-II Cepheid) is $0.64\pm{}0.02\,M_\odot$ and the radius $R=25.1\pm{}0.3\,R_\odot$. The companion is a massive ($5.67\,M_\odot$) main-sequence star obscured by a disk. Such configuration suggests a mass transfer in the system history. We found that originally the system ($P_{orb}^{init}=12\,d$) was composed of $3.5$ and $2.8\,M_\odot$ stars, with the current Cepheid being more massive. The system age is now $\sim{}$200 My, and the Cepheid is almost completely stripped of hydrogen, with helium mass of $\sim{}92\%$ of the total mass. It finished transferring the mass 2.5 My ago and is evolving towards lower temperatures passing through the instability strip. Comparison with observations indicate a reasonable $2.7\cdot{}10^{-8}\,M_\odot/y$ mass loss from the Cepheid. The companion is most probably a Be main-sequence star with $T=22000\,K$ and $R=2.5\,R_\odot$. Our results yield a good agreement with a pulsation theory model for a hydrogen-deficient pulsator, confirming the described evolutionary scenario. We detected a two-ring disk ($R_{disk}\sim\,116\,R_{\odot}$) and a shell ($R_{shell}\sim\,9\,R_{\odot}$) around the companion, that is probably a combination of the matter from the past mass transfer, the mass being lost by the Cepheid due to wind and pulsations, and a decretion disk around a rapidly rotating secondary. Our study together with observational properties of pWVir stars suggests that their majority are products of a similar binary evolution interaction.

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arXiv2018

Optical interferometry and Gaia parallaxes for a robust calibration of the Cepheid distance scale

We present the modeling tool we developed to incorporate multi-technique observations of Cepheids in a single pulsation model: the Spectro-Photo-Interferometry of Pulsating Stars (SPIPS). The combination of angular diameters from optical interferometry, radial velocities and photometry with the coming Gaia DR2 parallaxes of nearby Galactic Cepheids will soon enable us to calibrate the projection factor of the classical Parallax-of-Pulsation method. This will extend its applicability to Cepheids too distant for accurate Gaia parallax measurements, and allow us to precisely calibrate the Leavitt law's zero point. As an example application, we present the SPIPS model of the long-period Cepheid RS Pup that provides a measurement of its projection factor, using the independent distance estimated from its light echoes.

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arXiv2018

The Araucaria Project: High-precision Cepheid astrophysics from the analysis of variables in double-lined eclipsing binaries

Based on new observations and improved modeling techniques, we have reanalyzed seven Cepheids in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Improved physical parameters have been determined for the exotic system OGLE LMC-CEP-1718 composed of two first-overtone Cepheids and a completely new model was obtained for the OGLE LMC-CEP-1812 classical Cepheid. This is now the shortest period Cepheid for which the projection factor is measured. The typical accuracy of our dynamical masses and radii determinations is 1%. The radii of the six classical Cepheids follow period--radius relations in the literature. Our very accurate physical parameter measurements allow us to calculate a purely empirical, tight period--mass--radius relation that agrees well with theoretical relations derived from non-canonical models. This empirical relation is a powerful tool to calculate accurate masses for single Cepheids for which precise radii can be obtained from Baade--Wesselink-type analyses. The mass of the type-II Cepheid $κ$ Pav, $0.56 \pm 0.08 M_\odot$, determined using this relation is in a very good agreement with theoretical predictions. We find large differences between the p-factor values derived for the Cepheids in our sample. Evidence is presented that a simple period--p-factor relation shows an intrinsic dispersion, hinting at the relevance of other parameters, such as the masses, radii, and radial velocity variation amplitudes. We also find evidence that the systematic blueshift exhibited by Cepheids, is primarily correlated with their gravity. The companion star of the Cepheid in the OGLE LMC-CEP-4506 system has a very similar temperature and luminosity, and is clearly located inside the Cepheid instability strip, yet it is not pulsating.

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arXiv2018

Quantitative Spectroscopy of Supergiants in the Local Group Dwarf Galaxy IC 1613: Metallicity and Distance

We present the spectral analysis of 21 blue supergiant stars of spectral type late B to early A within the Local Group dwarf galaxy IC 1613 based on VLT-FORS2 low resolution spectra. Combining our results with studies of early B type blue supergiants we report a wide bi-modal distribution of metallicities with two peaks around [Z] $\sim -0.50$ dex and [Z] $\sim -0.85$ dex. The bi-modal distribution correlates with spatial location, when compared with column densities of neutral hydrogen in IC 1613. While the low [Z] objects appear in regions of relatively high ISM HI column densities or close to them, the high [Z] supergiants are found in the central HI hole almost devoid of hydrogen. This suggests varied chemical evolution histories of the young stellar populations in IC 1613. Utilizing the Flux-Weighted Gravity-Luminosity Relation (FGLR), we determine IC 1613's distance modulus as $m - M$ = 24.39 $\pm$ 0.11 mag. This value is in agreement within previous distance measurements using the near-infrared period-luminosity relationship of Cepheids and the tip of the red giant branch.

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arXiv2018

The late type eclipsing binaries in the Large Magellanic Cloud: catalogue of fundamental physical parameters

We present a determination of precise fundamental physical parameters of twenty detached, double- lined, eclipsing binary stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) containing G- or early K-type giant stars. Eleven are new systems, the remaining nine are systems already analyzed by our team for which we present updated parameters. The catalogue results from our long-term survey of eclipsing binaries in the Magellanic Clouds suitable for high-precision determination of distances (the Araucaria project). The V-band brightnesses of the systems range from 15.4 mag to 17.7 mag and their orbital periods range from 49 days to 773 days. Six systems have favorable geometry showing total eclipses. The absolute dimensions of all eclipsing binary components are calculated with a precision of better than 3% and all systems are suitable for a precise distance determination. The measured stellar masses are in the range 1.4 to 4.6 M_sun and comparison with the MESA isochrones gives ages between 0.1 and 2.1 Gyr. The systems show some weak age-metallicity relation. Two systems have components with very different masses: OGLE LMC-ECL-05430 and OGLE LMC-ECL-18365. Neither system can be fitted by single stellar evolution isochrone, explained by a past mass transfer scenario in the case of ECL-18365 and a gravitational capture or a hierarchical binary merger scenario in the case of ECL-05430. The longest period system OGLE LMC SC9 230659 shows a surprising apsidal motion which shifts the apparent position of the eclipses. In one spectrum of OGLE LMC-ECL-12669 we noted a peculiar dimming of one of the components by 65% well outside of the eclipses. We interpret this observation as arising from an extremely rare occultation event as a foreground Galactic object covers only one component of an extragalactic eclipsing binary.

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arXiv2017

The Araucaria Project. The Distance to the Sculptor Group Galaxy NGC 7793 from Near-Infrared Photometry of Cepheid Variables

Following the earlier discovery of classical Cepheid variables in the Sculptor Group spiral galaxy NGC 7793 from an optical wide-field imaging survey, we have performed deep near-infrared $J$- and $K$-band follow-up photometry of a subsample of these Cepheids to derive the distance to this galaxy with a higher accuracy than what was possible from optical photometry alone, by minimizing the effects of reddening and metallicity on the distance result. Combining our new near-infrared period-luminosity relations with the previous optical photometry we obtain a true distance modulus to NGC 7793 of $(27.66 \pm 0.04)$ mag (statistical) $\pm 0.07$ mag (systematic), i.e. a distance of $(3.40 \pm 0.17)$ Mpc. We also determine the mean reddening affecting the Cepheids to be $E(B-V)=(0.08 \pm 0.02)$ mag, demonstrating that there is significant dust extinction intrinsic to the galaxy in addition to the small foreground extinction. A comparison of the new, improved Cepheid distance to earlier distance determinations of NGC 7793 from the Tully-Fisher and TRGB methods yields agreement within the reported uncertainties of these previous measurements.

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arXiv2017

A precision determination of the Effect of Metallicity on Cepheid absolute magnitudes in VIJHK bands from Magellanic Cloud Cepheids

Using high-quality observed period-luminosity relations in both Magellanic Clouds in VIJHKs bands and optical and near-infrared Wesenheit indices we determine the effect of metallicity on Cepheid P-L relations by comparing the relative distance between LMC and SMC as determined from the Cepheids to the distance difference between the Clouds which has been derived with very high accuracy from late-type eclipsing binary systems. Within an uncertainty of 3% which is dominated by the uncertainty on the mean metallicity difference between the Cepheid populations in LMC and SMC we find metallicity effects smaller than 2% in all bands and in the Wesenheit indices, consistent with a zero metallicity effect. This result is valid for the metallicity range from -0.35 dex to -0.75 dex corresponding to the mean [Fe/H] values for classical Cepheids in LMC and SMC, respectively. Yet most Cepheids in galaxies beyond the Local Group and located in the less crowded outer regions of these galaxies do fall into this metallicity regime, making our result important for applications to determine the distances to spiral galaxies well beyond the Local Group. Our result supports previous findings which indicated a very small metallicity effect on the near-infrared absolute magnitudes of classical Cepheids, and resolves the dispute about the size and sign of the metallicity effect in the optical spectral range. It also resolves one of the most pressing problems in the quest towards a measurement of the Hubble constant with an accuracy of 1% from the Cepheid-supernova Ia method.

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