The stellar halo in the inner Milky Way: predicted shape and kinematics

We have used N-body simulations for the Milky Way to investigate the kinematic and structural properties of the old metal-poor stellar halo in the barred inner region of the Galaxy. We find that the extrapolation of the density distribution for bulge RR Lyrae stars, ρ ∼ r−3, approximately matches the number density of RR Lyrae in the nearby stellar halo. We follow the evolution of such a tracer population through the formation and evolution of the bar and box/peanut bulge in the N-body model. We find that its density distribution changes from oblate to triaxial, and that it acquires slow rotation in agreement with recent measurements. The maximum radial velocity is ∼15–25 km s−1 at |l| = 10°–30°, and the velocity dispersion is ∼120 km s−1. Even though the simulated metal-poor halo in the bulge has a barred shape, just 12 per cent of the orbits follow the bar, and it does not trace the peanut/X structure. With these properties, the RR Lyrae population in the Galactic bulge is consistent with being the inward extension of the Galactic metal-poor stellar halo.