The absolute calibration of Cepheid and Mira Period-Luminosity relations in the near-infrared

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The investigators will analyze observational time-series near-infrared data of variable stars in order to reduce uncertainties in the Hubble constant, which is used to determine the age of the universe. They will focus on variable stars that belong to eclipsing binaries in nearby galaxies and us stellar atmosphere models, in order to calculate accurate stellar radii. The calculated stellar radii and measured periods and magnitudes will be used to derive distances that will be incorporated in the extragalactic "cosmic distance ladder," from which an improved value of the Hubble constant can be derived. This work will have broader impacts in that it involve the participation of a graduate student from an underrepresented group, and the PI will give bilingual talks to the public and maintain a public website in Spanish.