Investigation of the Galactic Bar based on Photometry and Stellar Proper
  Motions
  A new method for selecting stars in the Galactic bar based on 2MASS infrared
photometry in combination with stellar proper motions from the Kharkiv XPM
catalogue has been implemented. In accordance with this method, red clump and
red giant branch stars are preselected on the color -- magnitude diagram and
their photometric distances are calculated. Since the stellar proper motions
are indicators of a larger velocity dispersion toward the bar and the spiral
arms compared to the stars with circular orbits, applying the constraints on
the proper motions of the preselected stars that take into account the Galactic
rotation has allowed the background stars to be eliminated. Based on a joint
analysis of the velocities of the selected stars and their distribution on the
Galactic plane, we have confidently identified the segment of the Galactic bar
nearest to the Sun with an orientation of 20$^\circ$--25$^\circ$ with respect
to the Galactic center -- Sun direction and a semimajor axis of no more than 3
kpc.
