Program: GN-2020A-Q-138

Disk galaxies similar to the Milky Way are fundamental probes to understand the formation of our Galaxy and galaxies in general in the context of the current paradigm of galaxy formation and evolution. M81 is a MW-sized galaxy that shows a bright bulge with classical morphology that poses a challenge to the historical view in the field, in which such massive bulges are thought to be formed due to mergers with satellite galaxies. The stellar halo of M81 has no evidence of the intense merging history that a massive bulge would imply if merger activity is the main physical mechanism responsible for its bulge mass growth. We propose to obtain spectroscopic observations of the inner regions of M81 with the GMOS-N instrument. We aim to obtain a comprehensive picture of the formation of the bulge of M81 employing precise measurements of radial velocities, velocity dispersions and chemical abundances at different galactocentric distances.