Related papers: In Pursuit of the Least Luminous Galaxies
Dwarf galaxies are valuable laboratories for dynamical studies related to dark matter and galaxy evolution, yet it is currently unknown just how physically extended their stellar components are. Satellites orbiting the Galaxy's potential…
As the Milky Way and its satellite system become more entrenched in near field cosmology efforts, the need for an accurate mass estimate of the Milky Way's dark matter halo is increasingly critical. With the second and early third data…
The number of observed dwarf galaxies, with dark matter mass $\lesssim 10^{11}$ M$_{\odot}$ in the Milky Way or the Andromeda galaxy does not agree with predictions from the successful $\Lambda$CDM paradigm. To alleviate this problem a…
The Milky Way's dark matter halo is expected to host numerous low-mass subhalos with no detectable associated stellar component. Such subhalos are invisible unless their dark matter annihilates to visible states such as photons. One of the…
Several nearby ultra-faint satellites of the Milky Way discovered by the Dark Energy Survey (DES) during the last few years are promising targets for indirect dark matter (DM) searches with very-high-energy (VHE, E$\gtrsim$100 GeV) gamma…
Dark matter is thought to make up most of the matter density of the Universe, yet its true nature remains uncertain. Among dark matter theories, Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) are a prominent candidate for dark matter because…
We have conducted a search of a 9 deg$^{2}$ region of the CFHTLS around the Milky Way analog M101 (D$\sim$7 Mpc), in order to look for previously unknown low surface brightness galaxies. This search has uncovered 38 new low surface…
White dwarfs are among the most common objects in the stellar halo; however, due to their low luminosity and low number density compared to the stars in the discs of the Milky Way, they are scarce in the observable volume. Hence, they are…
We explore the connection between galaxies and dark matter halos in the Milky Way (MW) and quantify the implications on properties of the dark matter particle and the phenomenology of low-mass galaxy formation. This is done through a…
We discuss the approach of searching low mass dwarf galaxies, $\lesssim10^6\textrm{ M}_{\odot}$, in the general field, using integrated light surveys. By exploring the limiting surface brightness-spatial resolution…
The demographics of dwarf galaxy populations have long been in tension with predictions from the Cold Dark Matter (CDM) paradigm. If primordial density fluctuations were scale-free as predicted, dwarf galaxies should themselves host dark…
From the archaeological point of view, the local dwarf galaxies are unique objects in which the imprint of the conditions that shaped the early structure formation can be studied today at high resolution. Over the last decade, this new…
Dark matter is the dominant form of matter in the universe, but its nature is unknown. It is plausibly an elementary particle, perhaps the lightest supersymmetric partner of known particle species. In this case, annihilation of dark matter…
The 2020s are poised to continue the past two decades of significant advances based on observations of dwarf galaxies in the nearby universe. Upcoming wide-field photometric surveys will probe substantially deeper than previous data sets,…
We use a new set of cold dark matter simulations of the local universe to investigate the distribution of fossils of primordial dwarf galaxies within, and around the Milky Way. Throughout, we build upon previous results showing agreement…
The abundance of faint dwarf galaxies is determined by the underlying population of low-mass dark matter (DM) halos and the efficiency of galaxy formation in these systems. Here, we quantify potential galaxy formation and DM constraints…
A recent surge in the discovery of new ultrafaint dwarf satellites of the Milky Way has inspired the idea of searching for faint satellites, $10^3\, \mathrm{M_{\odot}} < M_* < 10^6\, \mathrm{M_{\odot}}$, around less massive field galaxies…
Weak gravitational lensing of distant galaxies by foreground structures has proven to be a powerful tool to study the mass distribution in the universe. Nowadays, attention has shifted from clusters of galaxies to the statistical properties…
Precise measurements of mass in dark matter dominated dwarf spheroidal galaxies are of great importance for testing the theories of structure formation. We use $N$-body simulations of the tidal evolution of a dwarf galaxy orbiting the Milky…
Dark matter only simulations of galaxy formation predict many more subhalos around a Milky Way like galaxy than the number of observed satellites. Proposed solutions require the satellites to inhabit dark matter halos with masses between…