The Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment. The OGLE-III Catalog of Variable Stars. XIII. Long-Period Variables in the Small Magellanic Cloud

TL;DR

This paper presents a comprehensive catalog of nearly 20,000 long-period variable stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud, including detailed classifications, statistical analyses, and notable objects, based on extensive photometric data from 1997 to 2009.

Contribution

It provides the first large-scale, detailed catalog of LPVs in the Small Magellanic Cloud with classifications and analysis, expanding the understanding of variable star populations in this galaxy.

Findings

Catalog includes 19,384 LPVs with detailed classifications.

Identifies a Mira star with the longest known pulsation period of 1860 days.

Provides statistical comparison between LPVs in the SMC and LMC.

Abstract

The thirteenth part of the OGLE-III Catalog of Variable Stars (OIII-CVS) contains 19384 long-period variables (LPVs) detected in the Small Magellanic Cloud. The sample is composed of 352 Mira stars, 2222 semiregular variables (SRVs) and 16810 OGLE Small Amplitude Red Giants (OSARGs). Sources are divided into oxygen-rich and carbon-rich stars. The catalog includes time-series VI photometry obtained between 1997 and 2009. Methods used to select and classify variable stars are described. We show some statistical properties of the sample, and compare it with LPVs in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Additionally, we present objects of particular interest, e.g. a SRV with outbursts, and a Mira star with the longest known pulsation period P=1860 days.