The shape and rotation of stellar tracers in the Milky Way bulge

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Session 54 -- MW, Galactic Structure
Oral presentation, Wednesday, 10:30-12:00, Dwinelle 155 Room

[54.03] The shape and rotation of stellar tracers in the Milky Way bulge

HongSheng Zhao, R.M.Rich (Columbia)

We use proper motion data as well as the light distribution as a probe to study the rotation of the bulge. The bulge stellar populations and metallicity groups are modelled as barotropic tracers in a triaxial potential computed from a modified Kent mass model. We find that tracers with increasing rotation have increasing proper motion anisotropy and decreasing dispersion; they are increasingly both flattened and concentrated to the center. Flattening and proper motion anisotropy also increase with radii. We identify the low dispersion and highly concentrated component as the metal rich or young population of the bulge.

Wednesday program listing