The Three-Dimensional Velocity Structure of the Thick Disk From Spm4 and Rave Dr2

We analyze the 3D kinematics of a sample of ~ 4400 red clump stars ranging between 5 and 10 kpc from the Galactic center and up to 3 kpc from the Galactic plane. This sample is representative for the metal-rich ([Fe/H] = -0.6 to 0.5) thick disk. Absolute proper motions are from the fourth release of the Southern Proper Motion Program, and radial velocities from the second release of the Radial Velocity Experiment. The derived kinematical properties of the thick disk include: the rotational velocity gradient ∂ Vθ / ∂ z = -25.2 ± 2.1 km s⁻¹ kpc⁻¹, velocity dispersions (σVR, σ_Vθ, σVz)|z=1 = (70.4, 48.0, 36.2) ±(4.1,8.3,4.0) km s⁻¹, and velocity-ellipsoid tilt angle αRz = 8.6 ± 1.8. Our dynamical estimate of the thin-disk scale length is Rₜₕᵢₙ = 2.0 ± 0.4 kpc and the thick-disk scale height is zthick = 0.7 ± 0.1 kpc. The observed orbital eccentricity distribution compared with those from four different models of the formation of the thick disk from Sales et al. favor the gas-rich merger model and the minor merger heating model. Interestingly, when referred to the currently accepted value of the LSR, stars more distant than 0.7 kpc from the Sun show a net average radial velocity of 13 ±3 km s⁻¹. This result is seen in previous kinematical studiesusing other tracers at distances larger than ~ 1 kpc. We suggest this motion reflects an inward perturbation of the locally-defined LSR induced by the spiral density wave.