Large Magellanic Cloud Near-Infrared Synoptic Survey. I. Cepheid
  variables and the calibration of the Leavitt Law
  We present observational details and first results of a near-infrared (JHKs)
synoptic survey of the central region of the Large Magellanic Cloud using the
CPAPIR camera at the CTIO 1.5-m telescope. We covered 18 sq. deg. to a depth of
Ks~16.5 mag and obtained an average of 16 epochs in each band at any given
location. Our catalog contains more than 3.5x10^6 sources, including 1417
Cepheid variables previously studied at optical wavelengths by the OGLE survey.
Our sample of fundamental-mode pulsators represents a 9-fold increase in the
number of these variables with time-resolved, multi-band near-infrared
photometry. We combine our large Cepheid sample and a recent precise
determination of the distance to the LMC to derive a robust absolute
calibration of the near-infrared Leavitt Law for fundamental-mode and
first-overtone Cepheids with 10x better constraints on the slopes relative to
previous work. We also obtain calibrations for the Tip of the Red Giant Branch
and the Red Clump based on our ensemble photometry which are in good agreement
with previous determinations.
