Infrared surface brightness distances to Cepheids: a comparison of Bayesian and linear-bisector calculations.
Résumé
Bayesian statistical calculations and linear-bisector calculations for obtaining Cepheid distances and radii by the infrared surface brightness method have been compared for a set of 38 Cepheids. The distances obtained by the two techniques agree to 1.5% ± 0.6% and the radii agree to 1.1% ± 0.7%. Thus the two methods yield the same distances and radii at the 2sigma level. This implies that the short distance to the LMC found in recent linear-bisector studies of Cepheids is not a result of simplifications in the mathematical approach. The computed uncertainties in distance and radius are larger in the Bayesian calculation typically by a factor of three.