Mass Distribution and Bulge Formation in the Milky Way Galaxy

¹ Astronomisches Institut, Universität Basel, Venusstrasse 7, 4102 Binningen, Switzerland
² current address: Max-Planck-Institut für Extraterrestrische Physik, Giessenbachstrasse, 85748 Garching, Germany

Abstract

In its first part, this paper summarizes recent work on the mass and shape of the Galactic dark halo. The second part presents a review of the large-scale structure of the Milky Way, and of the evidence that the inner Galaxy is dominated by baryonic matter. This is briefly compared with the predictions of ΛCDM and MOND. Finally, a summary is given of bulge formation from clumpy, gas-rich disks, a process which may give rise to old, disk-like, α-rich bulges similar to the Galactic bulge.