Rediscovering the Milky Way with an orbit superposition approach and APOGEE data

Context. The Milky Way’s (MW’s) star formation history (SFH) offers insights into the chronology of its assembly and the mechanisms driving its structural development. Aims. In this study, we present an inference and analysis of the spatially resolved SFH and the MW disc growth. Methods. Our approach leverages both stellar birth radii estimates and the complete reconstruction of the MW stellar disc using a novel orbit superposition method from APOGEE data, allowing us to trace the orbit-mass weighted SFH based on formation sites, while taking into account stellar mass loss. Results. We find that the MW is a typical disc galaxy exhibiting inside-out formation: it was compact at z > 2 (Reff ≈ 2 kpc), had a peak in its star formation rate (SFR) 9–10 Gyr ago, and grew to a present-day size of Reff ≈ 4.3 kpc. A secondary peak in the SFR ~4 Gyr ago is responsible for the onset of the outer disc, which comprises the metal-poor, low-α population. We find that in situ star formation in the solar neighbourhood started 8–9 Gyr ago. The MW disc is characterised by a negative mean age gradient, as the result of the inside-out growth, with additional flattening induced by stellar radial migration. Conclusions. Our work showcases the importance of accounting for radial migration and the stellar sample selection function when inferring the SFH and build-up of the MW disc.