We have completed a near-infrared survey of approximately three square degrees towards the inner Galaxy including a larger region centered on the Galactic center (GC) and a smaller region towards the Centaurus-Scutum arm. Our survey uses four line emission filters and three continuum filters in the K-band. The need for a continuum filter on both the red and blue side of each line is driven by the large and variable extinction toward the inner Galaxy.
We have recently completed spectroscopic follow-up for imaging data taken in 1996-1998 centered on the GC. We discovered four new WR stars. The complete results, including spectra, coordinates, and finding charts, will be published in an upcoming paper (Homeier et al. 2003, in prep). Preliminary spectroscopic results are given by Homeier et al. (2002).
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the referee for a careful reading which improved the paper's final quality. We would also like to acknowledge the continuing excellent support of the CTIO mountain staff. A big thank-you to Ted LaRosa and Michael Nord for providing their 90 cm radio image, and to P. Eenens for providing his K-band WR spectra. N. H. acknowledges and thanks the ESO Studentship Programme and the Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium Graduate Fellowship Program. N. H. would also like to thank the University of Wisconsin Graduate School for partial support. P. S. C. appreciates continuous support from the National Science Foundation. This research has made use of the NASA/IPAC Infrared Science Archive, which is operated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Copyright ESO 2003