Related papers: Illuminating the Darkest Galaxies
Dwarf spheroidal galaxies have a large mass to light ratio and low astrophysical background, and are therefore considered one of the most promising targets for dark matter searches in the gamma-ray band. By applying a joint likelihood…
The dwarf spheroidal satellite galaxies of the Milky Way are some of the most dark-matter-dominated objects known. Due to their proximity, high dark matter content, and lack of astrophysical backgrounds, dwarf spheroidal galaxies are widely…
Previous studies of dwarf irregular galaxies have mostly found that these systems have slowly rising rotation curves and that they are dominated by dark matter, even well within the optical disk. However, based on new observations and a…
For dwarf galaxies modeled as deformed Plummer spheres and orbitally moving in ultralight dark matter halo of the Milky Way, the torque induced by the dynamical friction force is determined. The impact of this torque, as well as the torque…
We use kinematic data from three new, nearby, extremely low-luminosity Milky Way dwarf galaxies (Ursa Major II, Willman 1, and Coma Berenices) to constrain the properties of their dark matter halos, and from these make predictions for the…
The Lambda Cold Dark Matter (LCDM) paradigm makes specific predictions for the abundance, structure, substructure and clustering of dark matter halos, the sites of galaxy formation. These predictions can be directly tested, in the low-mass…
The galaxy circular velocity function at small masses is related to the matter power spectrum on small scales. Although this function is well-studied for Local Group dwarfs, theoretical predictions and observational measurements are…
We present mass models for the dark matter component of seven dwarf galaxies taken from "The HI Nearby Galaxy Survey" (THINGS) and compare these with those from numerical Lambda Cold Dark Matter (LCDM) simulations. The THINGS…
Dark-matter-only simulations predict that dark matter halos have cusp-like inner density profiles, while observations of low-mass galaxies have found a range of inner slopes that are typically much shallower. It is still not well…
Gravitational lensing is one of a number of methods used to probe the distribution of dark mass in the Universe. On galactic scales, complementary techniques include the use of stellar kinematics, kinematics and morphology of the neutral…
The developments summarized with the name ``weak gravitational lensing'' have led to exciting possibilities to study the (statistical properties of the) dark matter distribution in the Universe. Concentrating on those aspects which require…
The cold dark matter halo mass function is much steeper than the galaxy stellar mass function on galactic and subgalactic scales. This difference is usually reconciled by assuming that the galaxy formation efficiency drops sharply with…
Dwarf spheroidal galaxies are among the best environments that can be studied with Cherenkov telescopes for indirect searches of $\gamma$-ray signals coming from dark matter self-interaction (annihilation or decay), due to their proximity…
The distribution of dark matter in dwarf galaxies can have important implications on our understanding of galaxy formation as well as the particle physics properties of dark matter. However, accurately characterizing the dark matter content…
I review the observational side of the present state of the debate about the dark matter in galaxies, with emphasis on the core/cusp problem in low surface brightness galaxies, and the question of maximum / sub-maximum disks in spiral…
Dark matter is an important ingredient of galaxies, as was recognised early on by Ken Freeman himself! Evidence for dark matter halos is still indirect, based on analysing motions of tracers such as gas and stars. In a sense the visible…
The Milky Way satellite dwarf spheroidal (dSph) galaxies are the smallest dark matter dominated systems in the universe. We have underway dynamical studies of the dSph to quantify the shortest scale lengths on which Dark Matter is…
We show that measurements of stellar proper motions in dwarf spheroidal galaxies provide a powerful probe of the nature of dark matter. Allowing for general dark matter density profiles and stellar velocity anisotropy profiles, we show that…
We present new constraints on the density profiles of dark matter (DM) halos in seven nearby dwarf galaxies from measurements of their integrated stellar light and gas kinematics. The gas kinematics of low mass galaxies frequently suggest…
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…