ABSTRACT. We have obtained deep infrared J- and K-band observations of nine 4.9 × 4.9 arcmin fields in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) with the ESO New Technology Telescope equipped with the SOFI infrared camera. In these fields, 34 RR Lyrae stars cataloged by the OGLE collaboration were identified. Using different theoretical and empirical calibrations of the infrared period-luminosity-metallicity relation, we find consistent SMC distance moduli, and find a best true distance modulus to the SMC of 18.97 ± 0.03 (statistical) ±0.12 (systematic) mag, which agrees well with most independent distance determinations to this galaxy, and puts the SMC 0.39 mag more distant than the Large Magellanic Cloud for which our group has recently derived, from the same technique, a distance of 18.58 mag.

Key words: distance scale; galaxies: distances and redshifts; galaxies: individual (SMC); infrared: stars; stars: individual (RR Lyrae)

^* Based on observations obtained with the ESO NTT for programmes 082.D-0513(A) and 079.D-0482(A).

Print publication: Issue 6 (2009 December)
Received 2009 August 17, accepted for publication 2009 October 9
Published 2009 October 29