Old Main-Sequence Turnoff Photometry in the SMC

Abstract

We present ground-based {\it B} and {\it R}-band color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs) of unprecedented depth for twelve fields in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). They reach the oldest main-sequence turnoffs and cover a wide range of galactocentric distances up to $\sim4\arcdeg$ from the SMC center, and are located at different position angles. A picture of the stellar content in our SMC fields is presented, through the comparison with theoretical isochrones. Our study confirms the existence of strong population gradients and spatial variation in the SMC stellar content. None of the SMC fields presented here are dominated by old stellar populations which proves that at $\sim4\arcdeg$ from the SMC center we do not reach an old stellar halo similar to that of the Milky Way.