Forecasting the Population of Globular Cluster Streams in Milky Way-type Galaxies

Understand

Thin stellar streams originating from globular clusters are among the most sensitive tracers of low-mass dark-matter subhalos.

• Joint analysis of the entire population of stellar streams will place the most robust constraints on the dark-matter subhalo mass function, and therefore the nature of dark matter.
• Here we use a hierarchical model of globular cluster formation to forecast the total number, masses and radial distribution of dissolved globular cluster in Milky Way-like galaxies.
• Furthermore, we generate mock stellar streams from these progenitors' orbital histories taking into account the clusters' formation and accretion time, mass, and metallicity.