N. Matsunaga Abstract

A Near-Infrared Variable Star Survey in the Magellanic Clouds

Y. Ita, N. Matsunaga (University of Tokyo), and the IRSF/SIRIUS team

We have carried out a long-term near-infrared survey of variable stars in the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds using the IRSF 1.4m telescope and the SIRIUS JHKs-band imager at Sutherland, South Africa (PI: Y. Ita). The survey fields cover 3 square degrees along the bar in the LMC, and 1 square degree in the central part of the SMC. Starting in December 2000 for the LMC and in July 2001 for the SMC, the time coverage of the survey is longer than 10 years and the numbers of photometric measurements for each survey field are approximately 80-90 and 100-125 for the LMC and SMC, respectively. We have compiled the photometric catalogue of variable stars as well as non-variables for the SMC where we detected more than 10,000 variables and 300,000 non-variable down to Ks=17 mag, and the counterpart for the LMC will be constructed in the near future. In this presentation, we will describe our survey and the catalogue, and show preliminary results on some interesting objects such as Cepheids and dust-enshrouded Miras.