Evidence of a thick disk rotation-metallicity correlation

Abstract

We analyze a new kinematic survey that includes accurate proper motions derived from SDSS DR7 positions, combined with multiepoch measurements from the GSC-II database. By means of the SDSS spectro-photometric data (effective temperature, surface gravity, metallicity, and radial velocities), we estimate photometric parallaxes for a sample of 27 000 FGK (sub)dwarfs with [Fe/H] < |z| < 3 kpc, and a low prograde rotation, 37 ± 3 km s-1 for the inner halo up to 4 kpc. Finally, we briefly discuss the implications of these findings for the thick disk formation scenarios in the context of CDM hierarchical galaxy formation mechanisms and of secular evolutionary processes in galactic disks. © 2010 ESO.