Contents

• List of Figures
• List of Tables
• Introduction
  • Cepheid Variables
    • Pulsation Masses
    • Evolution Masses
    • The Cepheid Mass Discrepancy
  • LPVs
  • Cluster Selection
  • Thesis outline
  
  
• NGC 330
  • Introduction
  • Observations
  • Reductions
  • Candidate Selection and Period Determination
  • Results
  • The Cepheid Variables
  • Other Variables
  • Summary
  
  
• NGC 1850
  • Introduction
  • Observations
  • Data Reduction
  • Data Analysis
  • Results
    • Cepheids
    • Long-Period Variables
    • RR Lyraes and an anomalous Cepheid
    • Eclipsing and other variables
  • Reddening, distance modulus and metallicity
  • Evolution and pulsation masses for Cepheids
  • The bump Cepheid HV905
  • The Cepheid Period-Luminosity-Colour Relation
  • Long-Period Variables
  • Summary
  
  
• NGC 2058-65
  • Introduction
  • Data Reduction and Analysis
  • Results
    • The Colour-Magnitude Diagram
    • The Cepheid Variables
    • Long-Period Variables
    • Other Variables
  • Reddening
  • Cluster ages
  • Cepheid Properties
    • The Reddening-Free relation
    • The P-L relation
    • The P-L-C Relation and the LMC Distance Modulus
  • Cepheid Evolution and Pulsation Masses
  • LPVs
  • Summary
  
  
• The Pulsation Modes of Mira Variables
  • Introduction
  • Observational data
  • The observed (K,logP) relation
  • Amplitude distributions
  • Theoretical Asymptotic Giant Branch sequences
  • Theoretical pulsation models for the LPVs
  • Summary
  
  
• Conclusion
  • NGC 330
  • NGC 1850
  • NGC 2058-65
  • Mira Pulsation Modes
  • Further Work
  
  
• Bibliography