NSF-BSF: A Search for Satellites Around Dwarf Hosts with ELVES-DWARF

Princeton University, Princeton NJ

Investigators

Abstract

One of the most powerful probes of the nature of dark matter are the smallest galaxies, which are very challenging to observe due to their very low brightness. In this NSF-BSF project, a team of scientists at Princeton University (NSF funded) and Israel (BSF funded) will compile catalogs of groups of low-mass galaxies. Specifically, the team will find the extremely low mass satellite galaxies of dwarf galaxies, which are themselves already small. The team will collect imaging data for these objects and use them to measure their properties, including their distances, numbers, sizes, star formation histories, and their spatial distributions around their dwarf galaxy hosts. All these properties can be used to test cold dark matter models to see if the models are able to predict them on average. As part of this project, the team will bring in a broader community to benefit from these new science opportunities by recruiting formerly incarcerated students to the Princeton campus for summer research experiences. ELVES-Dwarf is a direct extension to the Exploration of Local VolumE Satellites (ELVES) survey. The proposing team will leverage the power of surface brightness fluctuations to garner relatively inexpensive but robust distances from ground-based imaging within the Local Volume (4<D<10 Mpc). The primary goal is to build a sample of 30-45 satellite galaxies down to stellar masses of a few hundred thousand solar masses around 35-40 isolated hosts with masses comparable to the Small and Large Magellanic Clouds. To date, only ten such satellites are known around six hosts, many of which are not isolated. Such a substantial boost in numbers is only possible thanks to the team’s efficient SBF machinery, which has already been proven with the ELVES survey. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.