The pulsating variable star population in DDO210

Abstract

We have probed the pulsating variable star content of the isolated Local Group dwarf galaxy, DDO210 (Aquarius), using archival Advanced Camera for Surveys/Hubble Space Telescope imaging in the F475W and F814W passbands. We find a total of 32 RR Lyrae stars (24 ab-type; 8 c-type) and 75 Cepheid variables. The mean periods of the ab-type and c-type RR Lyrae stars are calculated to be <P_ab> = 0.609 ± 0.011 and <P_c> = 0.359 ± 0.025 d, respectively. The light-curve properties of the fundamental mode RR Lyrae stars yield a mean metallicity of <[Fe/H]> = -1.63 ± 0.11 dex for this ancient population, consistent with a recent synthetic colour-magnitude diagram analysis. We find this galaxy to be Oosterhoff-intermediate and lacking in high-amplitude, short-period ab-type RR Lyrae, consistent with behaviour recently observed for many dwarf spheroidals and ultrafaint dwarfs in the Local Group. We find a distance modulus of μ = 25.07 ± 0.12 as determined by the RR Lyrae stars, slightly larger but agreeing with recent distance estimates from the red giant branch tip. We also find a sizable population of Cepheid variables in this galaxy. We provide evidence in favour of most if not all of these stars being short-period classical Cepheids. Assuming all of these stars to be classical Cepheids, we find that most of these Cepheids are ∼300 Myr old, with the youngest Cepheids being offset from the older Cepheids and the centre of the galaxy. We conclude that this may have resulted from a migration of star formation in DDO210.