Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Structure Of The Large Magellanic Cloud From 2mass, Md Weinberg, S Nikolaev

Astronomy Department Faculty Publication Series

We derive structural parameters and evidence for extended tidal debris from star count and preliminary standard candle analyses of the Large Magellanic Cloud based on Two-Micron All-Sky Survey (2MASS) data. The full-sky coverage and low extinction in Ks present an ideal sample for structural analysis of the LMC. The star count surface densities and deprojected inclination for both young and older populations are generally consistent with previous work. We fit the projected density with an exponential disk or spherical power-law model with an optional two-dimensional elliptical bar. The derived disk scale length is R = 1.42 ± 0.01 kpc for …