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Title: VVV SURVEY NEAR-INFRARED PHOTOMETRY OF KNOWN BULGE RR LYRAE STARS: THE DISTANCE TO THE GALACTIC CENTER AND ABSENCE OF A BARRED DISTRIBUTION OF THE METAL-POOR POPULATION

Abstract

We have combined optical and near-infrared data of known RR Lyrae (RRL) stars in the bulge in order to study the spatial distribution of its metal-poor component by measuring precise reddening values and distances of 7663 fundamental-mode RRL stars with high-quality photometry. We obtain a distance to the Galactic center of R {sub 0} = 8.33 ± 0.05 ± 0.14 kpc. We find that the spatial distribution of the RRL stars differs from the structures traced by the predominantly metal-rich red clump (RC) stars. Unlike the RC stars, the RRL stars do not trace a strong bar, but have a more spheroidal, centrally concentrated distribution, showing only a slight elongation in its very center. We find a hint of bimodality in the density distribution at high southern latitudes (b < –5°), which needs to be confirmed by extending the areal coverage of the current census. The different spatial distributions of the metal-rich and metal-poor stellar populations suggest that the Milky Way has a composite bulge.

Authors:
; ; ; ;  [1];  [2]
  1. Instituto de Astrofísica, Facultad de Física, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Av. Vicuña Mackenna 4860, 782-0436 Macul, Santiago (Chile)
  2. Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal de Sergipe, Av. Marechal Rondon s/n, 49100-000, São Cristóvão, SE (Brazil)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
22215416
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Astrophysical Journal Letters
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 776; Journal Issue: 2; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Journal ID: ISSN 2041-8205
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
79 ASTROPHYSICS, COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY; DENSITY; DISTANCE; ELONGATION; METALS; MILKY WAY; PHOTOMETRY; SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION; STARS

Citation Formats

Dékány, I., Minniti, D., Catelan, M., Zoccali, M., Hempel, M., Saito, R. K., and Gonzalez, O. A., E-mail: idekany@astro.puc.cl. VVV SURVEY NEAR-INFRARED PHOTOMETRY OF KNOWN BULGE RR LYRAE STARS: THE DISTANCE TO THE GALACTIC CENTER AND ABSENCE OF A BARRED DISTRIBUTION OF THE METAL-POOR POPULATION. United States: N. p., 2013. Web. doi:10.1088/2041-8205/776/2/L19.
Dékány, I., Minniti, D., Catelan, M., Zoccali, M., Hempel, M., Saito, R. K., & Gonzalez, O. A., E-mail: idekany@astro.puc.cl. VVV SURVEY NEAR-INFRARED PHOTOMETRY OF KNOWN BULGE RR LYRAE STARS: THE DISTANCE TO THE GALACTIC CENTER AND ABSENCE OF A BARRED DISTRIBUTION OF THE METAL-POOR POPULATION. United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/776/2/L19
Dékány, I., Minniti, D., Catelan, M., Zoccali, M., Hempel, M., Saito, R. K., and Gonzalez, O. A., E-mail: idekany@astro.puc.cl. 2013. "VVV SURVEY NEAR-INFRARED PHOTOMETRY OF KNOWN BULGE RR LYRAE STARS: THE DISTANCE TO THE GALACTIC CENTER AND ABSENCE OF A BARRED DISTRIBUTION OF THE METAL-POOR POPULATION". United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/776/2/L19.
@article{osti_22215416,
title = {VVV SURVEY NEAR-INFRARED PHOTOMETRY OF KNOWN BULGE RR LYRAE STARS: THE DISTANCE TO THE GALACTIC CENTER AND ABSENCE OF A BARRED DISTRIBUTION OF THE METAL-POOR POPULATION},
author = {Dékány, I. and Minniti, D. and Catelan, M. and Zoccali, M. and Hempel, M. and Saito, R. K. and Gonzalez, O. A., E-mail: idekany@astro.puc.cl},
abstractNote = {We have combined optical and near-infrared data of known RR Lyrae (RRL) stars in the bulge in order to study the spatial distribution of its metal-poor component by measuring precise reddening values and distances of 7663 fundamental-mode RRL stars with high-quality photometry. We obtain a distance to the Galactic center of R {sub 0} = 8.33 ± 0.05 ± 0.14 kpc. We find that the spatial distribution of the RRL stars differs from the structures traced by the predominantly metal-rich red clump (RC) stars. Unlike the RC stars, the RRL stars do not trace a strong bar, but have a more spheroidal, centrally concentrated distribution, showing only a slight elongation in its very center. We find a hint of bimodality in the density distribution at high southern latitudes (b < –5°), which needs to be confirmed by extending the areal coverage of the current census. The different spatial distributions of the metal-rich and metal-poor stellar populations suggest that the Milky Way has a composite bulge.},
doi = {10.1088/2041-8205/776/2/L19},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/22215416}, journal = {Astrophysical Journal Letters},
issn = {2041-8205},
number = 2,
volume = 776,
place = {United States},
year = {Sun Oct 20 00:00:00 EDT 2013},
month = {Sun Oct 20 00:00:00 EDT 2013}
}