Color-magnitude diagram distribution of the bulge red clump stars: Evidence for the galactic bar

Abstract

view Abstract Citations (216) References (23) Co-Reads Similar Papers Volume Content Graphics Metrics Export Citation NASA/ADS Color-Magnitude Diagram Distribution of the Bulge Red Clump Stars: Evidence for the Galactic Bar Stanek, K. Z. ; Mateo, M. ; Udalski, A. ; Szymanski, M. ; Kaluzny, J. ; Kubiak, M. Abstract The color-magnitude diagrams of $\sim 5\times 10^5$ stars obtained for 13 fields towards the Galactic bulge with the OGLE project reveal a well-defined population of bulge red clump stars. We find that the distributions of the extinction-adjusted apparent magnitudes of the red clump stars in fields lying at $l=\pm5°$ in galactic longitude differ by $0.37\pm0.025\;mag$. Assuming that the intrinsic luminosity distribution of the red clump stars is the same on both sides of the Galactic center, this implies that the distances to the red clump stars in the two fields differ by a factor of $1.185\pm0.015$. A plausible explanation of the observed difference in the luminosity distribution is that the Galactic bulge is a triaxial structure, or bar, which is inclined to the line of sight by no more than $45°$, with the part of the bar at the positive galactic longitude being closer to us. This agrees rather well with other studies indicating the presence of the bar in the center of the Galaxy. Color-magnitude diagram data are accessible over the computer network with anonymous {\tt ftp}. Publication: The Astrophysical Journal Pub Date: July 1994 DOI: 10.1086/187416 arXiv: arXiv:astro-ph/9404026 Bibcode: 1994ApJ...429L..73S Keywords: Brightness Distribution; Clumps; Color-Magnitude Diagram; Galactic Bulge; Luminous Intensity; Red Giant Stars; Longitude; Photometry; Telescopes; Astronomy; STARS: HERTZSPRUNG-RUSSELL DIAGRAM; STARS: STATISTICS; GALAXY: GENERAL; GALAXY: STRUCTURE; Astrophysics E-Print: 10 pages, 6 figures, uses AAS LaTeX aaspp.sty macro, PostScript figures available through the anonymous ftp or on request, accepted for the publication in the ApJL full text sources arXiv | ADS | data products SIMBAD (2)