Related papers: Multiple dynamical components in Local Group dwarf…
Dark matter (DM) subhalos offer critical tests of cosmological models through their abundance and properties, yet most remain undetectable due to their lack of stars. We investigate whether their presence leaves measurable imprints on the…
Spherical stellar systems have weakly-damped response modes. The dipole modes are seiche modes. The quadrupole are zero pattern-speed prolate modes, the stable precursors to the radial-orbit instability (ROI). We demonstrate that small…
Using our HST/ACS observations of the recently found isolated dwarf spheroidal galaxies, we homogeneously measured their star formation histories. We determined star formation rate as a function of time, as well as age and metallicity of…
In this paper, we study the dynamical stability and time evolution of the central dark matter cores of low-mass (about 10^8-10^9 M_solar) galactic haloes found in recent cold dark matter simulations at high redshift. From those simulations…
Our knowledge about the chemical evolution of the more luminous dwarf spheroidal (dSph) galaxies is constantly growing. However, little is known about the enrichment of the ultrafaint systems recently discovered in large numbers in large…
(Abbreviated) We investigate the dynamical mechanisms responsible for producing tidal tails from dwarf satellites using N-body simulations. We identify two important dynamical co-conspirators: 1) the points where the attractive force of the…
Although still under debate, observations generally suggest that dwarf spheroidal (dSph) galaxies exhibit large constant-density cores in the centers, which can hardly be explained by dissipationless cold dark matter simulations without…
The tidal stirring model envisions the formation of dwarf spheroidal (dSph) galaxies in the Local Group via the tidal interaction of disky dwarf systems with a larger host galaxy like the Milky Way. These progenitor disks are embedded in…
The number and distribution of dwarf satellite galaxies remain a critical test of cold dark matter-dominated structure formation on small scales. Until recently, observational information about galaxy formation on these scales has been…
Recent observations suggest that Carina and other nearby dwarf spheroidal galaxies are surrounded by unbound stars tidally stripped by the Milky Way. We run high-resolution N-Body simulations of dwarf galaxies orbiting within the Milky Way…
We measure the central kinematics for the dwarf spheroidal galaxy Leo I using integrated-light measurements and previously published data. We find a steady rise in the velocity dispersion from $300^{\prime\prime}$ into the center. The…
We present new Keck/DEIMOS spectroscopic observations of hundreds of individual stars along the sightline to Andromeda's first three discovered dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSphs) - And I, II, and III, and leverage recent observations by our…
We measure the intrinsic shapes and alignments of the dwarf spheroidal (dSph) galaxies of the Local Group. We find the dSphs of the Milky Way are intrinsically flatter (mean intrinsic ellipticity $\mu_E\sim0.6$) than those of M31…
Dissipative phenomena occurring during the orbital evolution of a dwarf satellite galaxy around a host galaxy may leave signatures in the star formation activity and signatures in the colour magnitude diagram of the galaxy stellar content.…
We carry out controlled $N$-body simulations that follow the dynamical evolution of binary stars in the dark matter (DM) haloes of ultra-faint dwarf spheroidals (dSphs). We find that wide binaries with semi-major axes $a\gtrsim a_t$ tend to…
We examine the prevalence, longevity, and causes of planes of satellite dwarf galaxies, as observed in the Local Group. We use 14 Milky Way/Andromeda-(MW/M31) mass host galaxies from the FIRE-2 simulations. We select the 14 most massive…
Prolate rotation (i.e. rotation around the long axis) has been reported for two Local Group dwarf galaxies: Andromeda II, a dwarf spheroidal satellite of M31, and Phoenix, a transition type dwarf galaxy. The prolate rotation may be an…
We present predictions for the line-of-sight velocity dispersion profiles of dwarf spheroidal galaxies and compare them to observations in the case of the Fornax dwarf. The predictions are made in the framework of standard dynamical theory…
We present the results of a deep study of the isolated dwarf galaxies Andromeda XXVIII and Andromeda XXIX with Gemini/GMOS and Keck/DEIMOS. Both galaxies are shown to host old, metal-poor stellar populations with no detectable recent star…
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…