2006ApJ...638..839N

We have determined the ratios of total to selective extinction in the near-infrared bands (J,H,K_s) toward the Galactic center from the observations of the region {mid}l{mid}≲2°.0 and 0°.5≲{mid}b{mid}≲1°.0 with the IRSF telescope and the SIRIUS camera. Using the positions of red clump stars in color-magnitude diagrams as a tracer of the extinction and reddening, we determine the average of the ratios of total to selective extinction to be A_Ks/E_H–Ks=1.44±0.01, A_Ks/E_J–Ks=0.494±0.006, and A_H/E_J–H=1.42±0.02, which are significantly smaller than those obtained in previous studies. From these ratios, we estimate that A_J:A_H:A_Ks=1:0.573±0.009:0.331±0.004 and E_J–H/E_H–Ks=1.72±0.04, and we find that the power law A_λ∝λ^{–1.99±0.02} is a good approximation over these wavelengths. Moreover, we find a small variation in A_Ks/E_H–Ksacross our survey. This suggests that the infrared extinction law changes from one line of sight to another, and the so-called universality does not necessarily hold in the infrared wavelengths.