The Structure, Populations, and Kinematics of the Milky Way Central and Inner Bulge with OGLE, APOGEE, and Gaia Data

We present an analysis of the structure, kinematics, and chemo-dynamical properties of the Milky Way bulge using RR Lyrae stars from Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment (OGLE), and giant stars from APOGEE and Gaia that have distances placing them in the inner Galaxy. First, using a sample of 18...

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Main Authors: Xiao Han, Hai-Feng Wang, Giovanni Carraro, Martín López-Corredoira, Yuan-Sen Ting, Yang-Ping Luo, Guan-Yu Wang, (MWLUDPSG Collaboration)
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IOP Publishing 2025-01-01
Series:The Astrophysical Journal
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/adc4e5
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author Xiao Han
Hai-Feng Wang
Giovanni Carraro
Martín López-Corredoira
Yuan-Sen Ting
Yang-Ping Luo
Guan-Yu Wang
(MWLUDPSG Collaboration)
author_facet Xiao Han
Hai-Feng Wang
Giovanni Carraro
Martín López-Corredoira
Yuan-Sen Ting
Yang-Ping Luo
Guan-Yu Wang
(MWLUDPSG Collaboration)
author_sort Xiao Han
collection DOAJ
description We present an analysis of the structure, kinematics, and chemo-dynamical properties of the Milky Way bulge using RR Lyrae stars from Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment (OGLE), and giant stars from APOGEE and Gaia that have distances placing them in the inner Galaxy. First, using a sample of 1879 ab-type RR Lyrae stars (RRabs) from OGLE-IV, we identified three populations: central bulge RRabs, the inner bulge RRabs, and halo or disk interlopers, based on their apocenters derived from orbital integration. Inner bulge RRabs kinematically align with the Galactic bar, while central bulge RRabs show slower rotation with lower velocity dispersion. Higher velocity dispersion stars were identified as halo/disk interlopers. Then, an orbital analysis of 28,188 APOGEE Red Clump and Red Giant Branch stars revealed kinematic properties consistent with RRabs, and the chemical abundance distribution displayed a bimodal stellar density pattern, suggesting complex star evolution histories and slightly different star formation histories for the inner bulge and central bulge. The differences in the density distribution on the ∣ Z ∣ _max -eccentricity plane for the central bulge, inner bulge, and interlopers are clearly detected. It is found that the classification of bulge stars based on orbital parameters, rather than solely on metallicity, provides a more accurate population separation. As the inner bulge, which contains the highest fraction of stars, traces the bar formed by the instability of the Galactic disk, our results support that the pseudobulge is the primary origin of the bulge. Furthermore, fitting the observed data to both the boxy and X-shaped bulge models indicated a preference for the boxy bulge.
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spelling doaj-art-a1d50af985874ee3a5697c45223e640c2025-08-20T02:15:24ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal1538-43572025-01-0198513210.3847/1538-4357/adc4e5The Structure, Populations, and Kinematics of the Milky Way Central and Inner Bulge with OGLE, APOGEE, and Gaia DataXiao Han0Hai-Feng Wang1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8459-1036Giovanni Carraro2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0155-9434Martín López-Corredoira3https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6128-6274Yuan-Sen Ting4https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5082-9536Yang-Ping Luo5Guan-Yu Wang6(MWLUDPSG Collaboration)Department of Astronomy, China West Normal University , Nanchong 637002, People’s Republic of China ; hfwang@bao.ac.cnDepartment of Astronomy, China West Normal University , Nanchong 637002, People’s Republic of China ; hfwang@bao.ac.cn; Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia “Galileo Galilei,” Universitá degli Studi di Padova , Vicolo Osservatorio 3, I-35122, Padova, Italy ; haifeng.wang.astro@gmail.comDipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia “Galileo Galilei,” Universitá degli Studi di Padova , Vicolo Osservatorio 3, I-35122, Padova, Italy ; haifeng.wang.astro@gmail.comInstituto de Astrofísica de Canarias , E-38205 La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain; Departamento de Astrofísica, Universidad de La Laguna , E-38206 La Laguna, Tenerife, SpainDepartment of Astronomy, The Ohio State University , Columbus, OH 43210, USA; Center for Cosmology and AstroParticle Physics, The Ohio State University , Columbus, OH 43210, USADepartment of Astronomy, China West Normal University , Nanchong 637002, People’s Republic of China ; hfwang@bao.ac.cnDepartment of Astronomy, China West Normal University , Nanchong 637002, People’s Republic of China ; hfwang@bao.ac.cnWe present an analysis of the structure, kinematics, and chemo-dynamical properties of the Milky Way bulge using RR Lyrae stars from Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment (OGLE), and giant stars from APOGEE and Gaia that have distances placing them in the inner Galaxy. First, using a sample of 1879 ab-type RR Lyrae stars (RRabs) from OGLE-IV, we identified three populations: central bulge RRabs, the inner bulge RRabs, and halo or disk interlopers, based on their apocenters derived from orbital integration. Inner bulge RRabs kinematically align with the Galactic bar, while central bulge RRabs show slower rotation with lower velocity dispersion. Higher velocity dispersion stars were identified as halo/disk interlopers. Then, an orbital analysis of 28,188 APOGEE Red Clump and Red Giant Branch stars revealed kinematic properties consistent with RRabs, and the chemical abundance distribution displayed a bimodal stellar density pattern, suggesting complex star evolution histories and slightly different star formation histories for the inner bulge and central bulge. The differences in the density distribution on the ∣ Z ∣ _max -eccentricity plane for the central bulge, inner bulge, and interlopers are clearly detected. It is found that the classification of bulge stars based on orbital parameters, rather than solely on metallicity, provides a more accurate population separation. As the inner bulge, which contains the highest fraction of stars, traces the bar formed by the instability of the Galactic disk, our results support that the pseudobulge is the primary origin of the bulge. Furthermore, fitting the observed data to both the boxy and X-shaped bulge models indicated a preference for the boxy bulge.https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/adc4e5Galactic bulgeMilky Way diskMilky Way Galaxy physics
spellingShingle Xiao Han
Hai-Feng Wang
Giovanni Carraro
Martín López-Corredoira
Yuan-Sen Ting
Yang-Ping Luo
Guan-Yu Wang
(MWLUDPSG Collaboration)
The Structure, Populations, and Kinematics of the Milky Way Central and Inner Bulge with OGLE, APOGEE, and Gaia Data
The Astrophysical Journal
Galactic bulge
Milky Way disk
Milky Way Galaxy physics
title The Structure, Populations, and Kinematics of the Milky Way Central and Inner Bulge with OGLE, APOGEE, and Gaia Data
title_full The Structure, Populations, and Kinematics of the Milky Way Central and Inner Bulge with OGLE, APOGEE, and Gaia Data
title_fullStr The Structure, Populations, and Kinematics of the Milky Way Central and Inner Bulge with OGLE, APOGEE, and Gaia Data
title_full_unstemmed The Structure, Populations, and Kinematics of the Milky Way Central and Inner Bulge with OGLE, APOGEE, and Gaia Data
title_short The Structure, Populations, and Kinematics of the Milky Way Central and Inner Bulge with OGLE, APOGEE, and Gaia Data
title_sort structure populations and kinematics of the milky way central and inner bulge with ogle apogee and gaia data
topic Galactic bulge
Milky Way disk
Milky Way Galaxy physics
url https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/adc4e5
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