2009

In Pursuit of the Least Luminous Galaxies

Willman, Beth

Understand

The dwarf galaxy companions to the Milky Way are unique cosmological laboratories.

With luminosities as low as 10^-7 L_MW, they inhabit the lowest mass dark matter halos known to host stars and are presently the most direct tracers of the distribution, mass spectrum, and clustering scale of dark matter.
Their resolved stellar populations also facilitate detailed studies of their history and mass content.
To fully exploit this potential requires a well-defined census of virtually invisible galaxies to the faintest possible limits and to the largest possible distances.

Built on

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An Adaptive Kernel Approach to Finding dSph Galaxies Around the Milky Way
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M. L. Mateo · 1998
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The local group of galaxies
S. van den Bergh · 1999
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Where Are the Missing Galactic Satellites?
A. Klypin, A. V. Kravtsov, O. Valenzuela, and F. Prada · 1999
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Dark Matter Substructure within Galactic Halos
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The effects of photoionization on galaxy formation - II. Satellite galaxies in the Local Group
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An SDSS Survey For Resolved Milky Way Satellite Galaxies. I. Detection Limits
B. Willman, J. Dalcanton, Ž. Ivezić, T. Jackson, R. Lupton, J. Brinkmann, G. Hennessy, and R. Hindsley · 2002
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A Matched-Filter Analysis of the Tidal Tails of the Globular Cluster Palomar 5
C. M. Rockosi, M. Odenkirchen, E. K. Grebel, W. Dehnen, K. M. Cudworth, J. E. Gunn, D. G. York, J. Brinkmann, G. S. Hennessy, and Ž. Ivezić · 2002
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The Progenitors of Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxies
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High-Velocity Cloud Complex H: A Satellite of the Milky Way in a Retrograde Orbit?
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Selection of Metal-poor Giant Stars Using the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Photometric System
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Similar

Ground-Based Optical Deep Pencil Beam Surveys
P. C. Boeshaar, V. Margoniner, and The Deep Lens Survey Team · 2003
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The Tumultuous Lives of Galactic Dwarfs and the Missing Satellites Problem
A. V. Kravtsov, O. Y. Gnedin, and A. A. Klypin · 2004
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The observed and predicted spatial distribution of Milky Way satellite galaxies
B. Willman, F. Governato, J. J. Dalcanton, D. Reed, and T. Quinn · 2004
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Andromeda IX: A New Dwarf Spheroidal Satellite of M31
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N. F. Martin, R. A. Ibata, M. Bellazzini, M. J. Irwin, G. F. Lewis, and W. Dehnen · 2004
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Star Formation Histories of Local Group Dwarf Galaxies
A. E. Dolphin, D. R. Weisz, E. D. Skillman, and J. A. Holtzman · 2005
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The great disk of Milky-Way satellites and cosmological sub-structures
P. Kroupa, C. Theis, and C. M. Boily · 2005
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The Dark Energy Survey
The Dark Energy Survey Collaboration · 2005
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A New Milky Way Companion: Unusual Globular Cluster or Extreme Dwarf Satellite?
B. Willman, M. R. Blanton, A. A. West, J. J. Dalcanton, D. W. Hogg, D. P. Schneider, N. Wherry, B. Yanny, and J. Brinkmann · 2005
Cited alongside, same era.
A New Milky Way Dwarf Galaxy in Ursa Major
B. Willman, J. J. Dalcanton, D. Martinez-Delgado, A. A. West, M. R. Blanton, D. W. Hogg, J. C. Barentine, H. J. Brewington, M. Harvanek, S. J. Kleinman, J. Krzesinski, D. Long, E. H. Neilsen, A. Nitta, and S. A. Snedden · 2005
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Star counts in the Galaxy. Simulating from very deep to very shallow photometric surveys with the TRILEGAL code
L. Girardi, M. A. T. Groenewegen, E. Hatziminaoglou, and L. da Costa · 2005
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A Faint New Milky Way Satellite in Bootes
V. Belokurov, D. B. Zucker, N. W. Evans, M. I. Wilkinson, M. J. Irwin, S. Hodgkin, D. M. Bramich, J. M. Irwin, G. Gilmore, B. Willman, S. Vidrih, H. J. Newberg, R. F. G. Wyse, M. Fellhauer, P. C. Hewett, N. Cole, E. F. Bell, T. C. Beers, C. M. Rockosi, B. Yanny, E. K. Grebel, D. P. Schneider, R. Lupton, J. C. Barentine, H. Brewington, J. Brinkmann, M. Harvanek, S. J. Kleinman, J. Krzesinski, D. Long, A. Nitta, J. A. Smith, and S. A. Snedden · 2006
Cited alongside, same era.

Then

Andromeda X, a New Dwarf Spheroidal Satellite of M31: Photometry
D. B. Zucker, A. Y. Kniazev, D. Martínez-Delgado, E. F. Bell, H.-W. Rix, E. K. Grebel, J. A. Holtzman, R. A. M. Walterbos, C. M. Rockosi, D. G. York, J. C. Barentine, H. Brewington, J. Brinkmann, M. Harvanek, S. J. Kleinman, J. Krzesinski, D. Long, E. H. Neilsen, Jr., A. Nitta, and S. A. Snedden · 2007
Later among the works it cites.
The Haunted Halos of Andromeda and Triangulum: A Panorama of Galaxy Formation in Action
R. Ibata, N. F. Martin, M. Irwin, S. Chapman, A. M. N. Ferguson, G. F. Lewis, and A. W. McConnachie · 2007
Later among the works it cites.
The high-redshift galaxy population in hierarchical galaxy formation models
M. G. Kitzbichler and S. D. M. White · 2007
Later among the works it cites.
Clumps and streams in the local dark matter distribution
J. Diemand, M. Kuhlen, P. Madau, M. Zemp, B. Moore, D. Potter, and J. Stadel · 2008
Later among the works it cites.
The Aquarius Project: the subhaloes of galactic haloes
V. Springel, J. Wang, M. Vogelsberger, A. Ludlow, A. Jenkins, A. Helmi, J. F. Navarro, C. S. Frenk, and S. D. M. White · 2008
Later among the works it cites.
The Luminosity Function of the Milky Way Satellites
S. Koposov, V. Belokurov, N. W. Evans, P. C. Hewett, M. J. Irwin, G. Gilmore, D. B. Zucker, H.-W. Rix, M. Fellhauer, E. F. Bell, and E. V. Glushkova · 2008
Later among the works it cites.
Hundreds of Milky Way Satellites? Luminosity Bias in the Satellite Luminosity Function
E. J. Tollerud, J. S. Bullock, L. E. Strigari, and B. Willman · 2008
Later among the works it cites.
The Orbital Poles of Milky Way Satellite Galaxies: A Rotationally Supported Disk of Satellites
M. Metz, P. Kroupa, and N. I. Libeskind · 2008
Later among the works it cites.
LSST: from Science Drivers to Reference Design and Anticipated Data Products
Original
Z. Ivezic, J. A. Tyson, R. Allsman, J. Andrew, R. Angel, and for the LSST Collaboration · 2008
Later among the works it cites.
Leo V: A Companion of a Companion of the Milky Way Galaxy?
V. Belokurov, M. G. Walker, N. W. Evans, D. C. Faria, G. Gilmore, M. J. Irwin, S. Koposov, M. Mateo, E. Olszewski, and D. B. Zucker · 2008
Later among the works it cites.
A Comprehensive Maximum Likelihood Analysis of the Structural Properties of Faint Milky Way Satellites
N. F. Martin, J. T. A. de Jong, and H.-W. Rix · 2008
Later among the works it cites.
Uncovering Extremely Metal-Poor Stars in the Milky Way’s Ultrafaint Dwarf Spheroidal Satellite Galaxies
E. N. Kirby, J. D. Simon, M. Geha, P. Guhathakurta, and A. Frebel · 2008
Later among the works it cites.
The Most Dark-Matter-dominated Galaxies: Predicted Gamma-Ray Signals from the Faintest Milky Way Dwarfs
L. E. Strigari, S. M. Koushiappas, J. S. Bullock, M. Kaplinghat, J. D. Simon, M. Geha, and B. Willman · 2008
Later among the works it cites.
Andromeda XVII: A New Low-Luminosity Satellite of M31
M. J. Irwin, A. M. N. Ferguson, A. P. Huxor, N. R. Tanvir, R. A. Ibata, and G. F. Lewis · 2008
Later among the works it cites.
A Trio of New Local Group Galaxies with Extreme Properties
A. W. McConnachie, A. Huxor, N. F. Martin, M. J. Irwin, S. C. Chapman, G. Fahlman, A. M. N. Ferguson, R. A. Ibata, G. F. Lewis, H. Richer, and N. R. Tanvir · 2008
Later among the works it cites.
A Deep Large Binocular Telescope View of the Canes Venatici I Dwarf Galaxy
N. F. Martin, M. G. Coleman, J. T. A. De Jong, H.-W. Rix, E. F. Bell, D. J. Sand, J. M. Hill, D. Thompson, V. Burwitz, E. Giallongo, R. Ragazzoni, E. Diolaiti, F. Gasparo, A. Grazian, F. Pedichini, and J. Bechtold · 2008
Later among the works it cites.
The Dartmouth Stellar Evolution Database
A. Dotter, B. Chaboyer, D. Jevremović, V. Kostov, E. Baron, and J. W. Ferguson · 2008
Later among the works it cites.
The Least-Luminous Galaxy: Spectroscopy of the Milky Way Satellite Segue 1
M. Geha, B. Willman, J. D. Simon, L. E. Strigari, E. N. Kirby, D. R. Law, and J. Strader · 2009
Closest in time.
The Impact of Inhomogeneous Reionization on the Satellite Galaxy Population of the Milky Way
Original
M. T. Busha, M. A. Alvarez, R. H. Wechsler, T. Abel, and L. E. Strigari · 2009
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The discovery of Segue 2: a prototype of the population of satellites of satellites
V. Belokurov, M. G. Walker, N. W. Evans, G. Gilmore, M. J. Irwin, M. Mateo, L. Mayer, E. Olszewski, J. Bechtold, and T. Pickering · 2009
Closest in time.
High-Resolution Spectroscopy of Extremely Metal-Poor Stars in the Least Evolved Galaxies: Ursa Major II and Coma Berenices
Original
A. Frebel, J. D. Simon, M. Geha, and B. Willman · 2009
Closest in time.
Indirect Dark Matter detection from Dwarf satellites: joint expectations from astrophysics and supersymmetry
G. D. Martinez, J. S. Bullock, M. Kaplinghat, L. E. Strigari, and R. Trotta · 2009
Closest in time.
The Seventh Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey
K. Abazajian and f. t. Sloan Digital Sky Survey · 2009
Closest in time.
The Invisibles: A Detection Algorithm to Trace the Faintest Milky Way Satellites
S. M. Walsh, B. Willman, and H. Jerjen · 2009
Closest in time.
Discovery of New Dwarf Galaxies in the M81 Group
K. Chiboucas, I. D. Karachentsev, and R. B. Tully · 2009
Closest in time.

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