Cosmology Seminar

Tue, January 30, 2018

1:10 pm (Cosmology/ BCCP) 
Alex Drlica-Wagner, FNAL 
Campbell 131 
Small Galaxies, Big Science: The Booming Industry of Milky Way Satellite Galaxies 
The satellite galaxies of the Milky Way are some of the most ancient, most chemically pristine, and most dark-matter-dominated galaxies known. These extreme objects provide a unique opportunity to test the standard cosmological model in the near-field limit. In addition, the relative proximity and large dark matter content of dwarf galaxies make them excellent systems for probing the fundamental properties of dark matter. Over the past several years, the unprecedented sensitivity of large CCD cameras have allowed us to double the known population of Milky Way satellites. These discoveries help address the "missing satellites problem” and can be used to test the particle nature of dark matter. I will summarize recent results, outstanding questions, and exciting prospect in near-field cosmology.