Related papers: Type II Cepheids as Extragalactic Distance Candles

In the epoch of precise and accurate cosmology, cross-confirmation using a variety of cosmographic methods is paramount to circumvent systematic uncertainties. Owing to progenitor histories and explosion physics differing from those of Type…

In this thesis we study the "standardized candle method" using a sample of 37 nearby (redshift < 0.06) Type II-plateau supernovae with BVRI photometry and optical spectroscopy. An analytic procedure is implemented to fit light, color, and…

We have undertaken several projects with the purpose of determining accurate distances to nearby galaxies to calibrate the extragalactic distance scale. Specifically, I describe the DIRECT project which aims to derive the distance to M31…

We present a sample of M31 beat Cepheids from the Pan-STARRS 1 PAndromeda campaign. By analyzing three years of PAndromeda data, we identify seventeen beat Cepheids, spreading from a galactocentric distance of 10 to 16 kpc. Since the…

Supernovae remnants are known to be luminous sources of infrared [FeII] emission. By studying how the luminosity scales with age, environment and other relevant factors, we can construct an [FeII] luminosity function for supernovae…

We used early time photometry and spectroscopy of 12 Type II plateau Supernovae (SNe IIP) to derive their distances using the Expanding Photosphere Method (EPM). We performed this study using two sets of Type II supernovae (SNe II)…

Large-amplitude asymptotic giant branch variables potentially rival Cepheid variables as fundamental calibrators of the distance scale, particularly if observations are made in the infrared, or where there is substantial interstellar…

Cepheid masses continue to be important tests of evolutionary tracks for intermediate mass stars as well as important predictors of their future fate. For systems where the secondary is a B star, {\it Hubble Space Telescope} ultraviolet…

We present mid-infrared Period-Luminosity relations for Cepheids in the Local Group galaxy IC1613. Using archival IRAC imaging data from Spitzer we were able to measure single-epoch magnitudes for five, 7 to 50-day, Cepheids at 3.6 and 4.5…

Using Hubble Space Telescope Advanced Camera for Surveys (HST/ACS) and Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) observations from the Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Treasury (PHAT), we present new period-luminosity (P-L) relations for Cepheid variables in…

Near infrared (IR) studies of Cepheid variables in the LMC take advantage of the reduced light curve amplitude and metallicity dependence at these wavelengths. This work presents such photometry for two young clusters known to contain…

We present I-band light curves of 54 Population II Cepheids identified in the OGLE-II catalog of variable objects in the Galactic bulge fields. Their periods range from a fraction of a day to several days. Their light curves show very close…

We present results of a ground-based survey for Cepheid variables in NGC 4258. This galaxy plays a key role in the Extragalactic Distance Scale due to its very precise and accurate distance determination via VLBI observations of water…

The red clump giants are potentially very useful as standard candles. There is some controversy about the stability of their I-band absolute magnitude, but it does not seem to be serious. No controversy was anticipated about their colors,…

With the aid of stellar atmosphere models, we derive iron abundances [Fe/H] from the OGLE B, V, I photometry on the Magellanic Cloud Cepheids. We show that in both clouds the average metallicities of the first overtone variables are lower…

We use the Expanding Photosphere Method to determine distances to 10 type II supernovae. The effects of asymmetries, extinction, and flux dilution are explored. Using empirical evidence and time-independent, spherical models which treat H…

We present a differential study of 500 Magellanic Cepheids with 3 million measurements obtained as a by-product of the EROS microlensing survey. The data-set is unbiased and provides an excellent basis for a differential analysis between…

We explore the feasibility of resurrecting the apparent magnitude-redshift relation for a ``standard candle'' to measure the cosmological constant and mass density. We show that type Ia supernovae, if measured with 0.15 mag uncertainty out…

We identified a sample of 88 bona fide Population II Cepheids (henceforth referred to as Cepheids) and 44 candidates in Galactic globular clusters (GCs). Seventy-eight of the Cepheids in the sample align within $2\,\sigma$ of the…

We present relation of the mean I-band brightness of red clump stars on metallicity. Red clump stars were proposed to be a very attractive standard candle for distance determination. The calibration is based on 284 nearby red giant stars…