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OATS-UNI/TS SEMINAR
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Speaker: Manuela Zoccali (Universidad Catolica, Santiago, Chile)

Title: The complex structure and stellar population of the galactic bulge
Date: Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012
Time: 11:30
Venue: Villa Bazzoni
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Abstract: The Galactic bulge is the only bulge that can be resolved in stars down to the bottom of the main sequence, and for which detailed chemical abundances can be obtained for individual stars. Yet its 3D structure and stellar population is surprisingly poorly understood, due to the lack of wide area surveys. What was believed to be a triaxial spheroid (the bar) is in fact an X-shape, and the metallicity gradients seen along some lines of sight might be due to a different mix of two components. I will review our current understanding of the Galactic bulge, including the latest results of the "Vista Variable in the Via Lactea" Survey, together with ongoing and future efforts to fully characterize this component.
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Contact: Francesca Matteucci (DAUT)