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Issue A&A
Volume 439, Number 1, August III 2005
Page(s) 107 - 110
Section Galactic structure, stellar clusters and populations
DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:20053075



A&A 439, 107-110 (2005)
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361:20053075

A boxy bulge in the Milky Way. Inversion of the stellar statistics equation with 2MASS data

M. López-Corredoira1, 2, A. Cabrera-Lavers1 and O. E. Gerhard2

1  Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, C/.vía Láctea, s/n, 38200 La Laguna (S/C de Tenerife), Spain
    e-mail: [martinlc;acabrera]@iac.es
2  Astronomisches Institut der Universität Basel, Venusstrasse 7, 4102 Binningen, Switzerland

(Received 27 January 2004 / Accepted 31 March 2005 )

Abstract
Inverting the stellar statistics equation from 2MASS star counts, we obtain the 3D density distribution of the Galactic bulge as well as its luminosity function in the K-band. This results in a boxy bulge with axial ratios 1:0.5:0.4 and a major axis angle with respect to the Sun-galactic center of $20^\circ{-}35^\circ $.


Key words: Galaxy: structure -- infrared: stars

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