Revealing the Hidden Universe: A Comprehensive Study of Low-Mass Galaxies Beyond the Local Group

Introduction

Low-mass (dwarf) galaxies, with masses under a few billion solar masses, hold significant importance in astrophysics. They are the key objects in challenging dark matter models on small scales, yet considerable uncertainties remain in our understanding of their baryonic physics.

Importance of Dwarf Galaxies

Dwarfs also hold important clues on early star formation and chemical enrichment, and on the buildup of galaxies and the black holes within them. However, studying them has been hard – their low surface brightness nature makes them challenging to detect using standard instrumentation and survey techniques.

Current Understanding

Despite decades of research, our understanding of dwarfs primarily relies on those in our galactic neighborhood, orbiting the Milky Way. Recent technological advances have sparked a thrilling era of rapid dwarf galaxy discovery beyond the Milky Way.

Research Proposal

I propose a research program using two novel wide-field surveys, capitalizing on instrumentation designed specifically for this purpose to transform three key aspects:

1. Ultra-Faint Regime Study
   With data from the Dragonfly Wide Field Survey, I will perform a pioneering study of galaxies down to the ultra-faint regime well beyond the Local Group. I will also utilize proprietary data from the Merian Survey to construct a sample of 100,000 classical dwarf galaxies at a redshift of z=0.05-0.1. These datasets will establish a solid foundation for understanding the census of low-mass galaxies.

2. Kinematic Measurements and Dynamical Modeling
   By combining kinematic measurements and dynamical modeling, I will obtain constraints on dwarf’s dark matter halo profiles, shedding light on core vs. cusp structures, dynamical friction, and dark matter on small scales.

3. Baryonic Processes
   Pinpoint the baryonic processes that shape these galaxies by studying their stellar, gas, and star formation properties.

Unique Position

With leadership roles in both observational initiatives, an in-depth understanding of the data, and exclusive data access, I'm uniquely positioned to lead this program, timed ahead of future community surveys like LSST, Euclid, and Roman.