Made-to-Measure models of the Galactic Box/Peanut bulge: stellar and total mass in the bulge region

Understand

We construct dynamical models of the Milky Way's Box/Peanut (B/P) bulge, using the recently measured 3D density of Red Clump Giants (RCGs) as well as kinematic data from the BRAVA survey.

• We match these data using the NMAGIC Made-to-Measure method, starting with N-body models for barred discs in different dark matter haloes.
• We determine the total mass in the bulge volume of the RCGs measurement (+-2.2 x +- 1.4 x +- 1.2 kpc) with unprecedented accuracy and robustness to be 1.84 +- 0.07 x10^10 Msun.
• The stellar mass in this volume varies between 1.25-1.6 x10^10 Msun, depending on the amount of dark matter in the bulge.