A Spectroscopic Study of the Ancient Milky Way: F‐ and G‐Type Stars in the Third Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

We perform an analysis of spectra and photometry for 22,770 stars included in the third data release (DR3) of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). We measure radial velocities and, based on a model-atmosphere analysis, derive estimates of the atmospheric parameters (effective temperature, surface gravity, and [Fe/H]) for each star. Stellar evolution models are then used to estimate distances. We thoroughly check our analysis procedures using three recently published spectroscopic libraries of nearby stars, and compare our results with those obtained from alternative approaches. The SDSS sample covers a range in stellar brightness of 14 < V < 22, primarily at intermediate galactic latitudes, and comprises large numbers of F- and G-type stars from the thick-disk and halo populations (up to 100 kpc from the galactic plane), therefore including some of the oldest stars in the Milky Way. In agreement with previous results from the literature, we find that halo stars exhibit a broad range of iron abundances, with a peak at [Fe/H] {approx_equal} -1.4. This population exhibits essentially no galactic rotation. Thick-disk G-dwarf stars at distances from the galactic plane in the range 1 < |z| < 3 kpc show a much more compact metallicity distribution, with a maximum at [Fe/H] {approx_equal} -0.7, and a median galactic rotation velocity at that metallicity of 157 {+-} 4 km s{sup -1} (a lag relative to the thin disk of 63 km s{sup -1}). SDSS DR3 includes spectra of many F-type dwarfs and subgiants between 1 and 3 kpc from the plane with galactic rotation velocities consistent with halo membership. A comparison of color indices and metal abundances with isochrones indicates that no significant star formation has taken place in the halo in the last {approx} 11 Gyr, but there are thick-disk stars which are at least 2 Gyr younger. We find the metallicities of thick-disk stars to be nearly independent of galactocentric distance between 5 and 14 kpc from the galactic center, in contrast with the marked gradients found in the literature for the thin disk. No vertical metallicity gradient is apparent for the thick disk, but we detect a gradient in its rotational velocity of -16 {+-} 4 km s{sup -1} kpc{sup -1} between 1 and 3 kpc from the plane. We estimate that among the stars in our sample there are over 2000 with an iron abundance [Fe/H] < -2, and over 150 stars with an iron abundance [Fe/H] < -3