The MACHO Project LMC Variable Star Inventory: Classical Cepheids, AGB Variables, and the Nine Million Star Color-Magnitude Diagram

We measure the ratio of ~ 5M⊙ blue and red LMC supergiants (representative of classical Cepheids) using the MACHO Project's 9 million star color-magnitude diagram (9M CMD) of the LMC bar. We find b/r = 0.39, which favors the Z=0.008, 5M⊙ theoretical model of Schaerer et al. (1993) over that of Fagatto et al. (1994). Next, we examine the low mass (old) and low metallicity LMC field population (Pop. II). Features in the 9M CMD and properties of …