Foreground Galactic stars properties

Finally, we use the radial velocities in each line-of-sight to derive a proxy for either the azimuthal or the vertical component of the orbital velocity of the stars. Only three lines-of-sight have a sufficient number of foreground stars for a robust analysis. Towards Sextans in the Northern Galactic hemisphere and Sculptor in the South, we measure a consistent decrease in mean metallicity with height from the Galactic plane, suggesting a chemically symmetric thick disc.

This decrease can either be due to an intrinsic thick disc metallicity gradient, or simply due to a change in the thin disc/thick disc population ratio and no intrinsic metallicity gradients for the thick disc. We favour the latter explanation. In contrast, we find evidence of an unpredicted metal-poor population in the direction of Carina.

This population was earlier detected by Wyse et al. (2006ApJ...639L..13W), but our more detailed analysis provides robust estimates of its location (|Z|<1kpc), metallicity (-2<[M/H]<-1dex) and azimuthal orbital velocity (V_phi_~120km/s).