A STUDY OF THE ABUNDANCE DISTRIBUTIONS ALONG THE MINOR AXIS OF THE GALACTIC BULGE

We derive the heavy element abundances for hundreds of K-giants in seven windows of low extinction, along or near the minor axis of the Galactic bulge. By using the recently-calibrated Washington photometric filter system, the distribution function in [Fe/H] is determined for each field. Within 8 degrees of the Galactic center (similar to 1 kpc) our data are consistent with no gradient in the distribution of [Fe/H], which may hint to a dissipationless collapse, and/or sufficient mixing during the star-forming epoch when Fe was produced in the bulge. The mean abundance over this region is between two and five times solar. The form of these distributions is well-fitted by the simple (closed box) model of chemical evolution where the bulge is self-enriched by processing its original gas content to completion. Beyond 8 degrees from the Galactic center, our data show that the mean of the abundance distributions drops precipitously. This is consistent with the notion that the inner bulge is chemically distinct from the halo.