The structure of the Small Magellanic Cloud

Mathewson, D. S.; Ford, V. L.; Visvanathan, N.

doi:10.1086/163932

Cited by 95 publications

(98 citation statements)

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“…Using red clump (RC) stars as standard candles in two fields, found the line-of-sight depth to be much larger in the northeast than in the southwest. Follow-up spectroscopy showed a correlation between distance and radial velocity (RV) in the northeast RC stars (Hatzidimitriou et al 1993) similar to that seen by Mathewson et al (1986) in Cepheid variables closer to the center. Gardiner & Hatzidimitriou (1992) used the photographic plate photometry of all their SMC fields to trace HB stars to R ∼ 5 • in all directions, uncovering a fairly symmetric structure but with a quick decline in density toward the west.…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 57%

A Tidally Stripped Stellar Component of the Magellanic Bridge

Nidever

Monachesi

Bell

et al. 2013

ApJ

111

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Deep photometry of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) stellar periphery (R = 4 • , 4.2 kpc) is used to study its line-of-sight depth with red clump (RC) stars. The RC luminosity function is affected little by young ( 1 Gyr) blue-loop stars in these regions because their main-sequence counterparts are not observed in the color-magnitude diagrams. The SMCs eastern side is found to have a large line-of-sight depth (∼23 kpc) while the western side has a much shallower depth (∼10 kpc), consistent with previous photographic plate photometry results. We use a model SMC RC luminosity function to deconvolve the observed RC magnitudes and construct the density function in distance for our fields. Three of the eastern fields show a distance bimodality with one component at the "systemic" ∼67 kpc SMC distance and a second component at ∼55 kpc. Our data are not reproduced well by the various extant Magellanic Cloud and Stream simulations. However, the models predict that the known H i Magellanic Bridge (stretching from the SMC eastward toward the Large Magellanic Cloud, LMC) has a decreasing distance with angle from the SMC and should be seen in both the gaseous and stellar components. From comparison with these models, we conclude that the most likely explanation for our newly identified ∼55 kpc stellar structure in the eastern SMC is a stellar counterpart of the H i Magellanic Bridge that was tidally stripped from the SMC ∼200 Myr ago during a close encounter with the LMC. This discovery has important implications for microlensing surveys of the SMC.

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 57%

A Tidally Stripped Stellar Component of the Magellanic Bridge

Nidever

Monachesi

Bell

et al. 2013

ApJ

111

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“…Distance determinations from several eclipsing binaries in the LMC suggest that there is a considerable depth along the line of sight (Fitzpatrick et al 2003). The SMC is also known to be very extended along the line of sight, with many estimates well in excess of 10 kpc (Mathewson et al 1986;Crowl et al 2001). In a recent survey Subramaniam & Subramaniam (2009) found that, indeed, the SMC has a greater depth than the LMC.…”

Section: Distance Modulusmentioning

confidence: 99%

Circumstellar emission in Be/X-ray binaries of the Magellanic Clouds and the Milky Way

Riquelme

Torrejón

Negueruela

2012

A&A

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Aims. We study the optical and near-infrared colour excesses produced by circumstellar emission in a sample of Be/X-ray binaries. Our main goals are exploring whether previously published relations, valid for isolated Be stars, are applicable to Be/X-ray binaries and computing the distance to these systems after correcting for the effects of the circumstellar contamination. Methods. Simultaneous UBVRI photometry and spectra in the 3500−7000 Å spectral range were obtained for 11 optical counterparts to Be/X-ray binaries in the LMC, 5 in the SMC and 12 in the Milky Way. As a measure of the amount of circumstellar emission we used the H α equivalent width corrected for photospheric absorption. Results. We find a linear relationship between the strength of the H α emission line and the component of E(B − V) originating from the circumstellar disk. This relationship is valid for stars with emission lines weaker than EW ≈ −15 Å. Beyond this point, the circumstellar contribution to E(B − V) saturates at a value ≈0.17 mag. A similar relationship is found for the (V − I) near infrared colour excess, albeit with a steeper slope and saturation level. The circumstellar excess in (B − V) is found to be about five times higher for Be/X-ray binaries than for isolated Be stars with the same equivalent width EW(H α ), implying significant differences in the physical properties of their circumstellar envelopes. The distance to Be/X-ray binaries (with non-shell Be star companions) can only be correctly estimated by taking into account the excess emission in the V band produced by free-free and free-bound transitions in the circumstellar envelope. We provide a simple method to determine the distances that includes this effect.

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“…There has not been any direct estimate of the thickness or the line-of-sight depth of the bar and disk of the L&SMC so far. Mathewson, Ford & Visvanathan (1986) found that SMC Cepheids extend from 43 to 75 kpc with most Cepheids found in the neighbourhood of 59 kpc. Later, the line-of-sight depth of the SMC was estimated (Welch et al 1987) by investigating the line-of-sight distribution and period-luminosity relation of Cepheids and found the line-of-sight depth of the SMC to be around 3.3 kpc.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Line of sight depth of the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds

Subramaniam¹,

Subramaniam²

2008

Proc. IAU

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Abstract. We used the red clump stars from the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment (OGLE II) survey and the Magellanic Cloud Photometric Survey (MCPS), to estimate the line-of-sight depth. The observed dispersion in the magnitude and colour distribution of red clump stars is used to estimate the line-of-sight depth, after correcting for the contribution due to other effects. This dispersion due to depth, has a range from minimum dispersion that can be estimated, to 0.46 mag (a depth of 500 pc to 10.44 kpc), in the LMC. In the case of the SMC, the dispersion ranges from minimum dispersion to 0.35 magnitude (a depth of 665 pc to 9.53 kpc). The thickness profile of the LMC bar indicates that it is flared. The average depth in the bar region is 4.0±1.4 kpc. The halo of the LMC (using RR Lyrae stars) is found to have larger depth compared to the disk/bar, which supports the presence of an inner halo for the LMC. The large depth estimated for the LMC bar and the disk suggests that the LMC might have had minor mergers. In the case of the SMC, the bar depth (4.90±1.23 kpc) and the disk depth (4.23±1.48 kpc) are found to be within the standard deviations. We find evidence for an increase in depth near the optical center (up to 9 kpc). On the other hand, the estimated depth for the halo (RR Lyrae stars) and disk (RC stars) for the bar region of the SMC is found to be similar. Thus, increased depth and enhanced stellar as well as H i density near the optical center suggests that the SMC may have a bulge.

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The structure of the Small Magellanic Cloud

Cited by 95 publications

References 0 publications

A Tidally Stripped Stellar Component of the Magellanic Bridge

A Tidally Stripped Stellar Component of the Magellanic Bridge

Circumstellar emission in Be/X-ray binaries of the Magellanic Clouds and the Milky Way

Line of sight depth of the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds

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