We have determined the ratios of total to selective extinction directly from
observations in the optical V band and near-infrared J band toward the Galactic
center. The OGLE (Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment) Galactic bulge
fields have been observed with the SIRIUS camera on the IRSF telescope, and we
obtain A(V)/E(V-J)=1.251+-0.014 and A(J)/E(V-J)=0.225+-0.007. From these
ratios, we have derived A(J)/A(V) = 0.188+-0.005; if we combine A(J)/A(V) with
the near-infrared extinction ratios obtained by Nishiyama et al. for more
reddened fields near the Galactic center, we get A(V) : A(J) : A(H) : A(Ks) = 1
: 0.188 : 0.108 : 0.062, which implies steeply declining extinction toward the
longer wavelengths. In particular, it is striking that the Ks band extinction
is \approx 1/16 of the visual extinction A(V) much smaller than one tenth of
A(V) so far employed.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures, Accepted for publication in Ap
