Detection of a radial velocity gradient in the extended local disc with RAVE

Using a sample of 213713 stars from the Radial Velocity Experiment (RAVE) survey, limited to a distance of 2kpc from the Sun and to |z| rsim 3 km s-1 kpc-1, where K and C are the Oort constants measuring the local divergence and radial shear of the velocity field, respectively. In order to illustrate the effect, assuming a zero radial velocity of the local standard of rest we then reconstruct the two-dimensional Galactocentric velocity maps using two different sets of proper motions and photometric distances based either on isochrone fitting or on K-band magnitudes, and considering two sets of values for the Galactocentric radius of the Sun and local circular speed. Further observational confirmation of our finding with line-of-sight velocities of stars at low latitudes, together with further modelling, should help constrain the non-axisymmetric components of the Galactic potential, including the bar, the spiral arms and possibly the ellipticity of the dark halo. © 2011 The Authors Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society © 2011 RAS.link_to_subscribed_fulltex