Carbon Stars and C/M Ratio in the WLM Dwarf Irregular Galaxy

Abstract

We identify the rich Carbon star population of the Magellanic-type dwarf irregular galaxy WLM (Wolf-Lundmark-Melotte) and study its photometric properties from deep near-IR observations. The galaxy exhibits also a clear presence of Oxygen rich population. We derive a Carbon to M-star ratio of C/M=0.56(+/-0.12), relatively high in comparison with many galaxies. The spatial distribution of the AGB stars in WLM hints at the presence of two stellar complexes with a size of a few hundred parsecs. Using the HI map of WLM and the derived gas-to-dust ratio for this galaxy we re-determined the distance modulus of WLM from the IR photometry of four known Cepheids, obtaining (m-M)o=24.84(+/-0.14) mag. In addition, we determine the scale length of 0.75(+/-)0.14 kpc of WLM disk in J-band.

arXiv comment8 pages, 9 eps figures, Accepted for publication in A&A

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Cited by in corpus (7)

• New period-luminosity and period-color relations of classical Cepheids. IV. The low-metallicity galaxies IC 1613, WLM, Pegasus, Sextans A and B, and Leo A in comparison to SMC
• The Araucaria Project. The Distance to the Local Group Galaxy WLM from Near-Infrared Photometry of Cepheid Variables
• Astrophysical Distance Scale II. Application of the JAGB Method: A Nearby Galaxy Sample
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• A Spitzer IRAC Census of the Asymptotic Giant Branch Populations in Local Group Dwarfs. II. IC 1613
• The assessment of the near infrared identification of Carbon stars. I. The Local Group galaxies WLM, IC 10 and NGC 6822
• Near-infrared properties of asymptotic giant branch stars in nearby dwarf elliptical Galaxy NGC 205