Using a sample of 246 metal-poor stars ( RR Lyraes , red giants and RHB stars ) which is remarkable for the accuracy of its 6-D kinematical data , we find , by examining the distribution of stellar orbital angular momenta , a new component for the local halo which has an axial ratio c / a \sim 0.2 , a similar flattening to the thick disk .
It has a small prograde rotation but is supported by velocity anisotropy , and contains more intermediate-metallicity stars ( with -1.5 < \mathrm { [ Fe / H ] } < -1.0 ) than the rest of our sample .
We suggest that this component was formed quite late , during or after the formation of the disk .
It formed either from the gas that was accreted by the last major mergers experienced by the Galaxy , or by dynamical friction of massive infalling satellite ( s ) with the halo and possibly the stellar disk or thick disk .

The remainder of the halo stars in our sample , which are less closely confined to the disk plane , exhibit a clumpy distribution in energy and angular momentum , suggesting that the early , chaotic conditions under which the inner halo formed were not violent enough to erase the record of their origins .
The clumpy structure suggests that a relatively small number of progenitors were responsible for building up the inner halo , in line with theoretical expectations .

We find a difference in mean binding energy between the RR Lyrae variables and the red giants in our sample , suggesting that more of the RR Lyraes in the sample belong to the outer halo , and that the outer halo may be somewhat younger , as first suggested by Searle & Zinn ( 1978 ) .
We also find that the RR Lyrae mean rotation is more negative than the red giants , which is consistent with the recent result of Carollo et al .
( 2007 ) that the outer halo has a retrograde rotation and with the difference in kinematics seen between RR Lyraes and BHB stars by Kinman et al .
( 2007 ) .