PHYS/ASTR Colloquium: "Probing dark matter properties with Milky-Way satellite observations" - Dr. Ariane Dekker (Postdoc, KIPAC/U. Chicago)

San Francisco State University

Physics & Astronomy Colloquium Series

Monday, April 29, 2024

Thornton Hall 411, 3:30 PM

Dr. Ariane Dekker (Postdoc, KIPAC/U. Chicago)

"Probing dark matter properties with Milky-Way satellite observations"

The small-scale structure within the Galactic dark matter halo offers a variety of opportunities to test the nature of dark matter. These can be traced by satellite galaxy observations, which orbit the Milky Way. In this talk I will discuss the impact of enhanced and suppressed dark matter models on the luminosity and inner mass of dwarf galaxies. By using high-resolution numerical simulations, combined with galaxy formation models, we are able to place the most stringent constraints on the matter power spectrum. High-resolution numerical simulations are however computationally expensive, which motivates to simultaneously develop accurate and flexible semi-analytical models. In the second half of this talk, I will discuss a semi-analytical model that computes the subhalo mass function, density profiles and spatial distribution for various dark matter models, and, demonstrate its effectiveness in constraining warm and mixed dark matter.