2009ApJ...690.1829N

It has been observed that Cepheids in the Magellanic Clouds have lower masses for the same luminosity than those in the Milky Way. The model, from Neilson & Lester, of pulsation-driven mass loss for Cepheids is applied to theoretical models of Cepheids with a metallicity consistent with the Milky Way and Large and Small Magellanic Clouds. The mass-loss model is analyzed using the metallicity correction of the period-luminosity relation to compare the ratio of mass loss of Cepheids with lower metallicity with that of Cepheids with solar metallicity. It is determined that mass loss may be larger for the lower metallicity Cepheids, counterintuitive to radiative driving estimates. Also the mass-loss rates of theoretical Cepheid models are found to be up to 5x10^–9 M_☉/yr for Galactic Cepheids, 5x10^–8 M_☉/yr for Large Magellanic Cloud Cepheids, and 2x10^–7 M_☉/yr for Small Magellanic Cloud Cepheids. It is argued that mass loss increases as metallicity decreases for Cepheids with periods less than 20 days and that mass loss decreases for longer periods. Assuming dust forms in the wind of a Cepheid at some distance, the infrared excess of the models is computed, finding the infrared brightness is approximately a magnitude larger due to mass loss. The infrared magnitudes are compared to recently published period-luminosity relations as a test of our predictions.