Related papers: Illuminating the Darkest Galaxies
White dwarfs are a class of stars with unique physical properties. They present many challenging problems whose solution requires the application of advanced theories of dense matter, state-of-the-art experimental techniques, and extensive…
According to the now strongly supported concordance $\Lambda$CDM model, galaxies may be grossly described as a luminous component embedded in a dark matter halo. The density profile of these mass dominating haloes may be determined by N -…
We present here a quantitative, accurate estimate of the impact of uncertainties of astrophysical nature on the determination of the dark matter distribution within our Galaxy, the Milky Way. Based on an update of a previous analysis, this…
We examine the prospects for detecting gamma-rays from dark matter annihilation in the six most promising dwarf spheroidal (dSph) satellite galaxies of the Milky Way. We use recently-measured velocity dispersion profiles to provide a…
The kinematics of the outer parts of three intermediate-luminosity elliptical galaxies have been studied using the Planetary Nebula Spectrograph. The galaxies' velocity dispersion profiles are found to decline with radius; dynamical…
Most proposed dark matter candidates are stable and are produced thermally in the early Universe. However, there is also the possibility of unstable (but long-lived) dark matter, produced thermally or otherwise. We propose a strategy to…
A recent study, making use of the number of horizontal branch stars observed in infrared photometric surveys and kinematic measurements of M-giant stars from the BRAVA survey, combined with N-body simulations of stellar populations, has…
Galaxies and their dark-matter halos have posed several challenges to the Dark Energy plus Cold Dark Matter (LCDM) cosmological model. These discrepancies between observations and theory intensify for the lowest-mass (`dwarf') galaxies.…
Stellar streams have proven to be powerful tools for measuring the Milky Way's gravitational potential and hence its dark matter halo. In the coming years, Vera Rubin, Euclid, ARRAKIHS, and NGRST will uncover a plethora of streams around…
Dwarf galaxies are ideal laboratories to test dark matter models and alternative theories because their dynamical mass (from observed kinematics) largely outweighs their baryonic mass (from gas and stars). In most star-forming dwarfs, cold…
The majority of the matter in the universe is still unidentified and under investigation by both direct and indirect means. Many experiments searching for the recoil of dark-matter particles off target nuclei in underground laboratories…
This paper reviews statistical methods recently developed to reconstruct and analyze dark matter mass maps from weak lensing observations. The field of weak lensing is motivated by the observations made in the last decades showing that the…
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…
Low Surface Brightness (LSB) galaxies have very diffuse, low surface density stellar disks which appear faint in optical images. They are very rich in neutral hydrogen (HI) gas, which extends well beyond the stellar disks. Their extended HI…
The discovery of Ultra-Faint Dwarf (UFD) galaxies in the halo of the Milky Way extends the faint end of the galaxy luminosity function to a few hundred solar luminosities. This extremely low luminosity regime poses a significant challenge…
We present evidence that all galaxies, of any Hubble type and luminosity, bear the kinematical signature of a mass component distributed differently from the luminous matter. We review and/or derive the DM halo properties of galaxies of…
The abundance of satellite galaxies provides a direct test of $\Lambda$CDM and galaxy formation physics on small scales. While satellites of Milky Way-mass galaxies are well studied, those of dwarf galaxies remain largely unexplored. We…
A leading hypothesis for the nature of the elusive dark matter are thermally produced, weakly interacting massive particles that arise in many theories beyond the standard model of particle physics. Their self-annihilation in astrophysical…
Weak gravitational lensing is rapidly becoming one of the principal probes of dark matter and dark energy in the universe. In this brief review we outline how weak lensing helps determine the structure of dark matter halos, measure the…
Modified gravity theories may provide an alternative to dark energy to explain cosmic acceleration. We argue that the observational program developed to test dark energy needs to be augmented to capture new tests of gravity on astrophysical…