Related papers: Dynamical Masses for a Complete Census of Local Dw…
We make use of a previous well tested Galactic model, but describing the observational behavior of the various stellar components in terms of suitable assumptions on their evolutionary status. In this way we are able to predict the expected…
This review aims to give an overview of the contribution of the Hubble Space Telescope to our understanding of the detailed properties of Local Group dwarf galaxies and their older stellar populations. The exquisite stable high spatial…
Due to a large mass-to-light ratio and low astrophysical backgrounds, dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSphs) are considered to be one of the most promising targets for dark matter searches via gamma rays. The Fermi LAT Collaboration has recently…
Properties of dwarf galaxies formed and evolved in the lowest density environment remain largely unexplored and poorly understood. Especially this concerns the low-mass end (M_bar < 10^9 Mo). We overview the results of systematic study of a…
We consider the extent to which future imaging surveys of galaxies can distinguish between dark energy and modified gravity models for the origin of the cosmic acceleration. Dynamical dark energy models may have similar expansion rates as…
Strong lensing gravitational time delays are a powerful and cost effective probe of dark energy. Recent studies have shown that a single lens can provide a distance measurement with 6-7 % accuracy (including random and systematic…
We analyse a sample of twelve galaxy clusters, from the Kapteyn IAC WEAVE INT Cluster Survey (KIWICS) looking for dwarf galaxy candidates. By using photometric data in the $r$ and $g$ bands from the Wide Field Camera (WFC) at the 2.5-m…
We observed 5 Hickson Compact Groups with the ESO/MPI 2.2m telescope and WFI to investigate the dwarf galaxy content and distribution in these galaxy groups. Our deep imaging and careful selection of the candidate galaxies revealed a rich…
Surveys of the local and distant Universe are the means to test and improve our models of galaxy formation. Substantial successes in the models are evident, while there is also considerable recent progress in identifying what remains to be…
Low luminosity dwarf galaxies provide stringent constraints on the nature of dark matter. Establishing these constraints depends on precise kinematic measurements of individual stars. In this overview for non-specialists, we describe…
Next-generation surveys will provide photometric and spectroscopic data of millions to billions of galaxies with unprecedented precision. This offers a unique chance to improve our understanding of the galaxy evolution and the unresolved…
The ESA Gaia mission has revolutionized our understanding of the white dwarf population, delivering an unprecedented census of these nearby remnants and revealing previously unseen structures in the Hertzsprung-Russell (HR) diagram.…
The 6dF Galaxy Survey (6dFGS) and the 2MASS Redshift Survey (2MRS) provide the most complete maps of the large-scale structures and motions in the nearby universe. These maps have been used to reconstruct the density field in the local…
Accurately measuring the masses of white dwarf stars is crucial in many astrophysical contexts (e.g., asteroseismology and cosmochronology). These masses are most commonly determined by fitting a model atmosphere to an observed spectrum;…
Dwarf galaxies have attracted increased attention in recent years, because of their susceptibility to galaxy transformation processes within rich galaxy clusters. Direct evidence for these processes, however, has been difficult to obtain,…
Properties of nearby dwarf galaxies are briefly discussed. Dwarf galaxies vary widely in their star formation histories, the ages of their subpopulations, and in their enrichment history. Furthermore, many dwarf galaxies show evidence for…
Dwarf galaxies represent a powerful probe of annihilating dark matter particle models, with gamma-ray data setting some of the best bounds available. A major issue in improving over existing constraints consists in the limited knowledge of…
Deep near-infrared imaging surveys allow us to select and study distant galaxies in the rest-frame optical, and have transformed our understanding of the early Universe. As the vast majority of K- or IRAC-selected galaxies is too faint for…
Widefield surveys have always provided a rich hunting ground for the coolest stars and brown dwarfs. The single epoch surveys at the beginning of this century greatly expanded the parameter space for ultracool dwarfs. Here we outline the…
Community access to deep (i ~ 25), highly-multiplexed optical and near-infrared multi-object spectroscopy (MOS) on 8-40m telescopes would greatly improve measurements of cosmological parameters from LSST. The largest gain would come from…