Related papers: Complexity in small-scale dwarf spheroidal galaxie…

The earliest assembly of the Milky Way remains poorly understood, yet the spatial, chemical, and kinematic properties of its most metal-poor stars provide a unique fossil record of its proto-Galaxy phase. Understanding how this ancient…

Understanding galaxy formation involves look-back and fossil-record studies of distant and nearby galaxies, respectively. Debris trails in our Galaxy's spheroidal halo of old stars provide evidence of "bottom-up" formation via tidal…

We use controlled $N$-body experiments to study the dynamical evolution of dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSphs) embedded in dark-matter (DM) haloes containing a large population of dark subhaloes. We show that stellar orbits subject to…

Satellite galaxies of the Milky Way with high mass-to-light ratios and little baryon content, i.e. dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSphs), are among the most promising targets to detect or constrain the nature of dark matter (DM) through its…

We have used UVES on VLT-UT2 to take spectra of 15 individual red giant stars in the centers of four nearby dwarf spheroidal galaxies: Sculptor, Fornax, Carina and Leo I. We measure the abundance variations of numerous elements in these low…

Recently it was shown that low-mass galaxies containing no dark matter can naturally evolve to dSph-like satellites in a tidal field. Such dSph-like satellites fake total domination by dark matter. If this is correct then it must be…

Due to their low gravitational energies, dwarf galaxies are greatly exposed to energetical influences from internal and external sources. By means of chemodynamical models we show that their star formation is inherently self-regulated, that…

We predict the metallicity distribution of stars and the age-metallicity relation for 6 Dwarf Spheroidal (dSph) galaxies of the Local Group by means of a chemical evolution model which is able to reproduce several observed abundance ratios…

We present a homogeneous set of accurate atmospheric parameters for a sample of eleven very metal-poor (-3.32 <= [Fe/H] <= -2.61) stars in the Sextans dwarf spheroidal galaxy (dSph) and the non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE)…

We present the results of a dedicated search for extremely metal-poor stars in the Fornax, Sculptor and Sextans dSphs. Five stars were selected from two earlier VLT/Giraffe and HET/HRS surveys and subsequently followed up at high…

A few topics concerning the early chemical evolution of the Milky Way are critically discussed. In particular, it is argued that: 1) Observed abundance patterns of extremely metal poor stars (of Pop. II) do not constrain the mass range of…

In this work, we present high-resolution spectroscopic observations for six metal-poor stars with [Fe/H]<-3 (including one with [Fe/H]<-4), selected using narrow-band Ca II HK photometry from the DECam MAGIC Survey. The spectroscopic data…

We present abundances for 12 giants in the Sagittarius Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy (Sgr dSph) obtained from VLT - UVES spectra. Moving on a short period, polar orbit around the Milky Way, the Sgr dSph is undergoing tidal disruption and will…

We simulate the dynamical and chemical evolution of a dwarf galaxy embedded in a dark matter halo, using a three-dimensional N-body/SPH simulation code combined with stellar population synthesis. The initial condition is adopted in accord…

We derive the star formation history (SFH) and chemical evolution history (CEH) of the Ursa Minor (UMi) dwarf spheroidal galaxy (dSph). We detect two distinct stellar populations that exist over 6 times half-light radius from its center.…

The first stars are predicted to have formed within 200 million years after the Big Bang, initiating the cosmic dawn. A true first star has not yet been discovered, although stars with tiny amounts of elements heavier than helium ('metals')…

One of the strongest predictions of the LambdaCDM cosmological model is the presence of dark satellites orbiting all types of galaxies. We focus here on the dynamical effects of such satellites on disky dwarf galaxies, and demonstrate that…

We use previously-published moderate-resolution spectra in combination with stellar atmosphere models to derive the first measured chemical abundance ratios in the Leo II dSph galaxy. We find that for spectra with SNR > 24, we are able to…

Chemical abundance of r-process elements in nearby dwarf spheroidal (dSph) galaxies is a powerful tool to probe the site of r-process since their small-mass scale can sort out individual events producing r-process elements. A merger of…

Deciphering the distribution of metals throughout galaxies is fundamental in our understanding of galaxy evolution. Nearby, low-metallicity, star-forming dwarf galaxies in particular can offer detailed insight into the metal-dependent…