Astronomy & Astrophysics Seminar: Low Mass Galaxies and Their Dark Matter Halos: Lessons Learned from Satellite Galaxies and the Dynamics of Globular Clusters

Zoom: https://tau-ac-il.zoom.us/j/85031132958?pwd=UXZNS05ST01KVXhGTTdLRU9WekZEdz09

Abstract:

The connection between galaxies and their host dark matter halos, as probed through studies of individual galaxies and statistically, provides a vital test of cosmological models on multiple scales. In particular, being the most dark matter-dominated systems discovered to date, low-mass galaxies provide stringent tests of our cold dark matter model. Because they are intrinsically faint and difficult to identify and characterize, studies thus far have primarily relied on the population of dwarf galaxies orbiting the Milky Way. Larger samples of low-mass galaxies beyond our galactic neighborhood are crucially needed to robustly test dark matter and galaxy formation models on small scales. My talk will consist of two parts. First, I will present results from the Exploration of Local VolumE Satellites (ELVES) survey, which constructs the largest sample of satellite galaxies beyond the Milky Way. I will discuss new constraints on the mapping between satellite galaxies and their host dark matter subhalos enabled by this sample. In the second part, I will present a novel framework for obtaining more direct constraints on the distribution of dark matter in low-mass galaxies, utilizing the photometry of their rich globular cluster populations and dynamical considerations. I will conclude by discussing ongoing and future surveys that will be essential in mapping the census and properties of the general population of low-mass galaxies.

Seminar Organizer: Dr. Iair Arcavi