SEGUE-2 LIMITS ON METAL-RICH OLD-POPULATION HYPERVELOCITY STARS IN THE GALACTIC HALO

We present new limits on the ejection of metal-rich old-population hypervelocity stars (HVSs) from the Galactic center (GC) as probed by the SEGUE-2 survey. Our limits are a factor of 3–10 more stringent than previously reported, depending on stellar type. Compared to the known population of B-star ejectees, there can be no more than 30 times more metal-rich old-population F/G stars ejected from the GC. Because B stars comprise a tiny fraction of a normal stellar population, this places significant limits on the combination of the GC mass function and the ejection mechanism for HVSs. In the presence of a normal GC mass function, our results require an ejection mechanism that is about 5.5 times more efficient at ejecting B stars compared to low-mass F/G stars.