Stellar Populations in the Magellanic Clouds

Abstract

The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) are two nearby galaxies located at a distance of 50 kpc and 60 kpc respectively. The Magellanic Clouds (MCs) host young, intermediate-age and old stellar populations. In this study, the stellar populations in the MCs are used as a tool to understand the structure and evolution of these galaxies as well as to understand the evolution of the Magellanic system as a whole. The structure of the MCs are studied using stellar populations (standard candles) of different ages (Cepheids - 100 Myr, Red clump stars: 2-9 Gyr & RR Lyrae stars > 9 Gyr) and the quantitative estimates of the structural parameters are derived. This study reveals the structural changes in the two galaxies as a function of time, and help to identify processes like interactions as well as mergers experienced by MCs at different epochs.