Structure and Evolution of the Milky Way Galaxy

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Abstract
The combination of chemical abundance, kinematic, and age data for stars near the sun provides important information about the early evolution of the Galaxy. We review available data, with some new analysis, to show that the sum of all available information strongly suggests that the extreme population II subdwarf system formed during a period of rapid collapse of the proto-Galaxy. This subdwarf system now forms a flattened, pressure-supported distribution, with axial ratio ∼2:1. The thick disk formed subsequent to the subdwarf system. At least the metal-poor tail of the thick disk is comparable in age to the globular cluster system. The thick disk is probably kinematically discrete from the Galactic old disk, though the data remain inadequate for robust conclusions.