Age and Metallicity Gradients in the Galactic Bulge

We test for age and metallicity gradients in the Galactic Bulgebetween the two low extinction windows Baade's window (l = 1° .1b=−4° .8) and Sagittarius-I (l=1° .3 b=−2° .7). We derive ametallicity difference of ≤ 0.2 dex between BW andSGR-I window. This corresponds to a metallicity gradient of 1.3 dexkpc-1. This steep gradient is reconcilable with the existence of ashort scale length inner component to the Bulge, most likely thatprominent in the NIR, which perhaps forms a separate entitysuperimposed on the larger, optical Bulge. Through number counts incolour-magnitude diagram around the turnoff for several fields andclusters, extending over a range in galactic longitude we find no evidencefor a significant young stellar population in the GalacticBulge. Previous suggestions of the existence of a significant youngstellar population have most likely incorrectly identified theforeground disk stars.