Dartmouth Events

Abstract: The relationship 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. Being some of the most dark matter-dominated systems discovered to date, low-mass galaxies provide stringent tests of our cold dark matter model, particularly on small scales. However, 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. I will present novel observations of low-mass galaxies beyond our local galactic neighborhood, uncovering their significant diverseness and introducing new astrophysical puzzles. I will discuss a new framework for obtaining constraints on the distribution of dark matter in low-mass galaxies, utilizing the photometry of their globular cluster populations and dynamical considerations. I will also present new constraints on the statistical mapping between satellite galaxies and their host dark matter subhalos enabled by the Exploration of Local VolumE Satellites (ELVES) survey, which constructs a unique sample of satellite galaxies beyond the Milky Way. 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.

Hosted by Professor Burcin Mutlu-Pakdil