The mass of the galactic halo derived from the luminosity function of high-velocity stars

Abstract

view Abstract Citations (180) References (35) Co-Reads Similar Papers Volume Content Graphics Metrics Export Citation NASA/ADS The mass of the galactic halo derived from the luminosity function of high-velocity stars. Schmidt, M. Abstract The local luminosity function of high-velocity stars is derived on the basis of a complete sample of stars of large proper motion with trigonometric parallaxes. The fraction of these stars belonging to a roughly spherical galactic halo is deduced by using a kinematical criterion based on space velocities of metal-poor RR Lyrae variables. The local mass density of halo stars is about 1.7 x 10- solar masses per cubic parsec, corresponding to a fractional mass within the Sun's distance from the center of 6 percent, i.e., an order of magnitude lower than that of the massive halo proposed by Ostriker and Peebles. Subject headings: galactic structure - high-velocity stars - luminosity function - proper-motion stars - stellar statistics Publication: The Astrophysical Journal Pub Date: November 1975 DOI: 10.1086/153949 Bibcode: 1975ApJ...202...22S Keywords: Galactic Structure; Stellar Luminosity; Stellar Mass; Velocity Distribution; Astronomical Models; Galactic Radiation; Mass Distribution; Star Distribution; Stellar Evolution; Stellar Motions; Astrophysics full text sources ADS | data products SIMBAD (57)