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| Paper: |
Formation and Evolution of the Milky Way Galaxy |
| Volume: |
399, Panoramic Views of Galaxy Formation and Evolution |
| Page: |
445 |
| Authors: |
Wyse, R.F.G. |
| Abstract: |
Current and near-future observational facilities allow the detailed study of fundamental properties of large samples of individual stars in nearby galaxies, such as their motions and chemical abundances. Low-mass stars live for essentially a Hubble time at the present epoch, and thus trace the evolution of stellar populations back to their formation. Analysis of the fossil record in old stars nearby is complementary to observations of high-redshift systems, and has the capability of breaking degeneracies inherent in analysis limited to integrated spectra or integrated photometry of unresolved systems. This advantage of resolved stellar populations is illustrated by the constraints that are placed on the past merging history of the Milky Way by the properties of the stars in the thick disk, thin disk and bulge of the Milky Way. These imply a quiet merger history, with little significant (by mass) accretion for the last ≥10 Gyr. |
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