The Galactic Bar
arXiv:astro-ph/0203109
Abstract
The Milky Way has a barred bulge. This article summarizes the current understanding of the main structural parameters and pattern speed of the bar, and compares predicted values for the microlensing optical depth with the bulge microlensing observations.
arXiv commentTo appear in: The Dynamics, Structure and History of Galaxies, a conference in honor of Ken Freeman, eds. G.S. Da Costa & E.M. Sadler, ASP Conference Series. 10 pages, LaTeX, 3 figures