HST VI photometry of variable stars in Leo T

We have detected 14 variable stars in the galaxy. They include one fundamental-mode RR Lyrae star and 11 Anomalous Cepheids with periods shorter than 1 day, thus suggesting the occurrence of multiple star formation episodes in this UFD, of which one about 10 Gyr ago produced the RR Lyrae star.

A new estimate of the distance to Leo T of 409^+29^_-27_kpc (distance modulus of 23.06+/-0.15mag) was derived from the galaxy's RR Lyrae star. Our V, V-I color-magnitude diagram (CMD) of Leo T reaches V~29mag and shows features typical of a galaxy in transition between dwarf irregular and dwarf spheroidal types. A quantitative analysis of the SFH, based on the comparison of the observed V, V-I CMD with the expected distribution of stars for different evolutionary scenarios, confirms that Leo T has a complex SFH dominated by two enhanced periods about 1.5 and 9 Gyr ago, respectively.