Results from a near infrared search for emission-line stars in the Inner Galaxy: Spectra of new Wolf-Rayet stars^*

¹ European Southern Observatory, Karl Schwarzschild Str. 2, Garching bei Muenchen, Germany
² University of Wisconsin, Madison, Sterling Hall, 475 N. Charter St., Madison, WI, USA
³ Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory, Casilla 603, La Serena, Chile
⁴ European Southern Observatory – Space Telescope European Coordinating Facility, Garching, Germany
⁵ JILA and APS Department, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 8030, USA
⁶ Universidade de São Paulo, IAG, CP 3386, São Paulo 01060-970, Brazil

Corresponding author: N. Homeier, nhomeier@eso.org

Received: 9 May 2003
Accepted: 25 June 2003

Abstract

We present follow-up spectroscopy of emission line candidates detected on near-infrared narrow band images in the inner Galaxy (Homeier et al. [CITE]). The filters are optimized for the detection of Wolf-Rayet stars and other objects which exhibit emission–lines in the 2 μm region. Approximately three square degrees along the Galactic plane have been analyzed in seven narrow–filters (four emission–lines and three continuum). We have discovered 4 new Wolf-Rayet stars and present coordinates, finding charts, and K-band spectra.