RGU Three-Colour-Photometry Towards the North Galactic Pole: Halo-To-Disk Mass Ratio

The halo program of the Basel observatory, initiated by Becker in 1965, is based on a three colour photometry in test fields along the circle through the galactic centre and the galactic poles. The more favourable direction of the blanketing vector relative to the main sequence in the two colour diagram for RGU makes it possible to separate at least statistically the disk population and the halo populatior within the interval of absolute magnitudes + 3 ≦ M G ≦ + 8. It is therefore possible to derive density functions for both populations and for different intervals in absolute magnitude for each test direction within the test plane defined above. This allows one to draw isodensity curves in the test plane and, assuming rotational symmetry of the halo, also isodensity surfaces. The last assumption is tested at least locally by test fields with different inclinations towards the test plane (Fenkart, R.P. and Wagner, R., 1975).