Distance, reddening and three dimensional structure of the SMC - I: Using RRab stars

We present a study of simultaneous determination of mean distance and reddening to the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) using the two photometric band RR Lyrae data. Currently available largest number of highly accurate and precise light curve data of the fundamental mode RR Lyrae stars (RRab) with better areal coverage released by the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment (OGLE)-IV project observed in the two photometric bands $(V,I)$ were utilised simultaneously in order to determine true distance and reddening independently for each of the individual RRab stars. Different empirical and theoretical calibrations leading to the determination of absolute magnitudes of RRab stars in the two bands, $V$ and $I$ along with their mean magnitudes were utilised to calculate the apparent distance moduli of each of these RRab stars in these two bands. Decomposing the apparent distance moduli into true distance modulus and reddening in each of these two bands, individual RRab distance and reddening were estimated solving the two apparent distance moduli equations. Modeling the observed distributions of the true distance moduli and reddenings of the SMC RRab stars as Gaussian, the true mean distance modulus and mean reddening value to the SMC were found to be {\bf $\mu_{0}=18.909\pm0.148$ mag and $E(B-V)=0.066\pm0.036$ mag, respectively. This corresponds to a distance of $D = 60.506\pm 4.126$~kpc to the SMC. The three dimensional distribution of the SMC RRab stars was approximated as ellipsoid. Then using the principal axes transformation method \citep{deb14} we find the axes ratios of the SMC: $1.000\pm0.001,1.113\pm 0.002, 2.986\pm0.023$ with $i=3^{\circ}.156\pm0^{\circ}.188$ and $\theta_{\text{lon}}=38^{\circ}.027\pm0.577$.} These results are in agreement with other recent independent previous studies using different tracers and methodologies.