SIMBAD references

We present an extinction map of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), using 204,502 stars from the Two Micron All-Sky Survey point-source catalog. We first use the NICE method to determine the reddening distribution, E(H-K) and E(J-H), which we compare to the H I distribution to find a near-infrared reddening law of E(J-H)/E(H-K)=1.20±0.04. A visual extinction map (∼6°x6°) of the LMC is created using the NICER method; at 4' resolution, a mean value of A_V=0.3 mag is found. We derive the LMC CO-to-H₂ conversion factor, X_LMC, independent of assumptions about the virialization of giant molecular clouds, by comparing the NICER extinction map with NANTEN ¹²CO observations. In regions where A_V>1 mag and ¹²CO emission is ≥2 K km/s, we measure X_LMC=9.3±0.4x10²⁰/cm2.(K km/s)^–1. In the same regions, the LMC contains a total molecular mass of (4.5±0.2)x10⁷ M_☉.