The metallicity and reddening of stars in the inner Galactic bulge

We present a preliminary analysis of K, J - K color-magnitude diagrams (CMD s) for seven different positions on or close to the minor axis of the Milky Way at Galactic latitudes between +0.degrees 1 and -2.degrees 8. From the slopes of the (linear) giant branches in these CMDs, we derive a dependence of [[Fe/H]] on latitude for b between -0.degrees 8 and -2.degrees 8 of -0. 085 +/- 0.033 dex deg(-1). When combined with the data from Tiede et al., w e find for -0.degrees 8 less than or equal to b less than or equal to -10.d egrees 3 the slope in [[Fe/H]] is -0.064 +/- 0.012 dex deg(-1). An extrapol ation to the Galactic center predicts [Fe/H] = +0.034 +/- 0.053 dex. We also derive average values for the extinction in the K band (A(K)) of be tween 2.15 and 0.27 for the inner bulge fields studied, corresponding to av erage values of E(J - K) of between 3.46 and 0.44. There is a well-defined linear relation between the average extinction for a held and the star-to-s tar scatter in the extinction for the stars within each field. The equation of this line is sigma(A(K)) = 0.056(+/-0.005)[A(K)] + 0.043(+/-0.005). Thi s result suggests that the typical apparent angular scale size for an absor bing cloud is small compared with the held size (90 " on a side). Finally, from an examination of the luminosity function of bright giants in each field we conclude that the young component of the stellar population observed near the Galactic center declines in density much more quickly tha n the overall bulge population and is undetectable beyond 1 degrees from th e Galactic center.