* Astronomy

Title: The Distance to the Massive Eclipsing Binary LMC-SC1-105 in the Large Magellanic Cloud
Authors: Alceste Z. Bonanos, Norberto Castro, Lucas M. Macri, Rolf-Peter Kudritzki

This paper presents the first distance measurement to the massive, semi-detached, eclipsing binary LMC-SC1-105, located in the LH 81 association of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). Previously determined parameters of the system (by Bonanos 2009) are combined with new near-infrared photometry and a new temperature analysis to constrain the reddening toward the system, and determine a distance of 50.6±1.6 kpc (corresponding to a distance modulus of 18.52±0.07 mag), in agreement with previous eclipsing binary measurements. This is the sixth distance measurement to an eclipsing binary in the LMC, although the first to an O-type system. We thus demonstrate the suitability of O-type eclipsing binaries as distance indicators. We suggest using bright, early-type eclipsing binaries to measure distances along different sight lines, as an independent way to map the depth of the LMC and resolve the controversy about its 3-dimensional structure.

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