Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-lnqnp Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T04:59:06.187Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

The Galactic bulge: a review

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 July 2007

Dante Minniti
Affiliation:
Dept. of Astronomy & Astrophysics, P. Universidad Catolica, Casilla 306, Santiago 22, Chile email: [email protected], [email protected]
Manuela Zoccali
Affiliation:
Dept. of Astronomy & Astrophysics, P. Universidad Catolica, Casilla 306, Santiago 22, Chile email: [email protected], [email protected]
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

The Milky Way is the only galaxy for which we can resolve individual stars at all evolutionary phases, from the Galactic center to the outskirt. The last decade, thanks to the advent of near IR detectors and 8 meter class telescopes, has seen a great progress in the understanding of the Milky Way central region: the bulge. Here we review the most recent results regarding the bulge structure, age, kinematics and chemical composition. These results have profound implications for the formation and evolution of the Milky Way and of galaxies in general. This paper provides a summary on our current understanding of the Milky Way bulge, intended mainly for workers on other fields.

Type
Contributed Papers
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2008

References

Alard, C. 2001, A&A, 379, L44Google Scholar
Alcock, C. et al. 1998, ApJ, 492, 190CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Alves-Brito, A., et al. 2006, A&A, 460, 269Google Scholar
Ballero, S. K., Matteucci, F., & Ciappini, C. 2006, NewA, 11, 306CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barbuy, B., et al. 2005, Highlights in Astronomy, Vol. 13, p. 159Google Scholar
Barbuy, B., et al. 2006, A&A, 449, 349Google Scholar
Barbuy, B., et al. 2007, AJ, 134, 1613CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barbuy, B., Bica, E., & Ortolani, S. 1998, A&A, 333, 117Google Scholar
Battaglia, G., et al. 2005, MNRAS, 370, 1055CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beaulieu, S. F., et al. 2000, AJ, 120, 855CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bica, E., et al. 2006, A&A, 450, 105Google Scholar
Binney, J. 1978, MNRAS, 183, 501CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cole, A. A. & Weinberg, M. D. 2002, ApJ, 574, L43CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Collinge, M. J., Sumi, T., & Fabrycky, D. 2006, ApJ, 651, 197CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Combes, M. 2007, in IAU Conf. 245, in pressGoogle Scholar
Côté, P. 1999, AJ, 188, 406CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cunha, K. & Smith, V. V. 2006, ApJ, 651, 491CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dwek, E., et al. 1995, ApJ, 604, L93Google Scholar
Eggen, O., Lynden-Bell, D., & Sandage, A. R. 1962, ApJ, 136, 748CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fulbright, J. P., McWilliam, A., & Rich, R. M., 2006, ApJ, 636, 821CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gerhard, O. 2006, EAS Publ. Series Vol. 20, (EDP Sciences), p. 89CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hamadache, C., et al. 2006, A&A, 545, 185Google Scholar
Harding, P. & Morrison, H. 1993, in IAU Symp. 153 “Galactic Bulges”, eds. Dejonghe, H. & Habing, H. (Dordrecht: Kluwer), 57Google Scholar
Ibata, R. & Gilmore, G. 1995, MNRAS, 275, 591CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Immeli, A., Samland, M., Gerhard, O. & Westera, P. 2004, A&A 413, 547Google Scholar
Kormendy, J. & Kennicutt, R. C. 2004, ARA&A, 42, 603Google Scholar
Kuijken, K. & Rich, M. 2002, ApJ, 124, 2054CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lecureur, A., et al. 2007a, A&A, 465, 799Google Scholar
Lecureur, A., et al. 2007b, A&A, to be submittedGoogle Scholar
Lopez-Corredoira, M. et al. 2007, AJ, 133, 154CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McWilliam, A. & Rich, R. M. 1994, ApJ, 91, 749Google Scholar
Minniti, D. 1996, ApJ, 459, 175CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Minniti, D., et al. 1992, ApJ, 393, L47CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Minniti, D., et al. 1995, MNRAS, 277, 1293CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morrison, H., Flynn, C., & Freeman, K. C. 1990, AJ, 100, 119CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ortolani, S., et al. 1995, Nature, 377, 701CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Popowski, P., et al. 2005, ApJ, 631, 879CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ramirez, S. V. et al. 2000, AJ, 120, 833CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rattenbury, N. J., et al. 2007a, MNRAS, 378, 1165CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rattenbury, N. J., et al. 2007b, MNRAS, 378, 1064CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rich, M. 1990, ApJ, 362, 604CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rich, M. & Origlia, L. 2005, ApJ, 634, 1293CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rich, M., et al. 2007, ApJ, 658, L29CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sadler, E., Rich, M., & Terndrup, D. 1996, AJ, 112, 171CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sahu, K., et al. 2006, Nature, 443, 534CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Searle, L. & Zinn, R., 1978, ApJ, 225, 357CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Soto, M. et al. 2007, ApJ, 665, L31CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Spaenhauer, A., Jones, B. F., & Whitford, A. E. 1992, AJ, 103, 297CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stanek, K. Z., et al. 1994, ApJ, 429, L73CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Steinmetz, M. 2007, in IAU Conf. 245, in pressGoogle Scholar
Sumi, T., 2006, ApJ, 636, 240CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Terndrup, D., Sadler, E., & Rich, M. 1995, AJ, 110, 1774CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mackey, A. D. & van den Bergh, S. 2005, MNRAS, 360, 631CrossRefGoogle Scholar
van Loon, J. Th., et al. 2003, MNRAS, 338, 857CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vieira, K., et al. 2007, ApJ, in pressGoogle Scholar
Walker, A. & Terndrup, D. M. 1991, ApJ, 378, 119CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zhao, H.-S. 1996, MNRAS, 283, 149CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zoccali, M., et al. 2000, ApJ, 530, 418CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zoccali, M., et al. 2003, A&A, 399, 931Google Scholar
Zoccali, M., et al. 2004, A&A, 423, 507Google Scholar
Zoccali, M., et al. 2006, A&A, 457, L1Google Scholar
Zoccali, M. et al. 2007, A&A, submittedCrossRefGoogle Scholar