Pulsating stars in Local Group dwarf galaxies

Abstract

The popularity of pulsating stars resides in their capacity of determining several crucial and relevant parameters such as heliocentric distances, ages, metallicity gradients and reddening. RR Lyrae stars are old stellar tracers and have been detected in nearly all nearby galaxies that have been searched for these stars, with just a few exceptions of very low mass dwarfs. Less common but also of great importance are Anomalous Cepheids, indicators of either old or intermediate-age population, depending on their stellar origin. Classical Cepheids are only found within young stellar populations, and because of their brighter absolute magnitudes, they can be detected in galaxies farther than the Local Group. This paper presents a concise review built upon the aforementioned pulsating stars in Local Group dwarf galaxies and some of their applications to infer important properties of their host galaxies.