# Absence of an X-shaped Structure in the Milky Way Bulge Using Mira Variable Stars

## TL;DR

This study uses Mira variable stars to analyze the Milky Way bulge's structure, finding no evidence of an X-shaped formation and supporting a boxy bulge model instead.

## Contribution

It provides observational evidence that Mira variables do not support the presence of an X-shaped bulge in the Milky Way, challenging previous structural models.

## Key findings

- Mira variables show a single density peak along lines of sight.
- The observed stellar distribution supports a boxy bulge rather than an X-shape.
- The average age of Mira stars is around 9 Gyr.

## Abstract

The stellar density distribution of the bulge is analyzed through one of its tracers. We use oxygen-rich Miras variables from the Catchpole et al. (2016) survey and OGLE-III survey as standard candles. The average age of these stars is around 9 Gyr. The population traced by Mira variables matches a boxy bulge prediction, not an X-shaped one, because only one peak is observed in the density along the analyzed lines of sight, whereas the prediction of an X-shape gives two clear peaks.