Abstract

A proper-motion study of a field of 20′ × 20′ inside Plaut's low-extinction window (l, b) = (0°, -8°) has been completed. Relative proper motions and photographic BV photometry have been derived for ∼21,000 stars reaching to V ∼ 20.5 mag, based on the astrometric reduction of 43 photographic plates, spanning over 21 yr of epoch difference. Proper-motion errors are typically 1 mas yr-1, and field-dependent systematics are below 0.2 mas yr-1. Cross-referencing with the 2MASS catalog yielded a sample of ∼8700 stars, from which predominantly disk and bulge subsamples were selected photometrically from the JH color-magnitude diagram. The two samples exhibited different proper-motion distributions, with the disk displaying the expected reflex solar motion as a function of magnitude. Galactic rotation was also detected for stars between ∼2 and ∼3 kpc from us. The bulge sample, represented by red giants, has an intrinsic proper-motion dispersion of (σl, σb) = (3.39 ± 0.11, 2.91 ± 0.09) mas yr-1, which is in good agreement with previous results and indicates a velocity anisotropy consistent with either rotational broadening or triaxiality. A mean distance of 6.37 -0.77 +0.87 kpc has been estimated for the bulge sample, based on the observed K magnitude of the horizontal branch red clump. The metallicity [M/H] distribution was also obtained for a subsample of 60 bulge giants stars, based on calibrated photometric indices. The observed [M/H] shows a peak value at [M/H] ∼ -0.1 with an extended metal-poor tail and around 30% of the stars with supersolar metallicity. No change in proper-motion dispersion was observed as a function of [M/H]. We are currently in the process of obtaining CCD UBVRI photometry for the entire proper-motion sample of ∼21,000 stars. © 2007. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.