MeerKAT and the Smallest Galaxies
Elizabeth A. K. Adams, Tom A. Oosterloo

TL;DR
This paper discusses how MeerKAT's sensitivity can help identify and analyze low-mass, HI-rich dwarf galaxies in the Centaurus region, addressing the small scale crisis in dark matter models.
Contribution
It proposes a comprehensive survey with MeerKAT to detect and characterize ultra-low mass dwarf galaxies, improving understanding of galaxy formation and dark matter halos.
Findings
Detection of galaxies with HI masses below 10^7 Msun is feasible.
The survey can identify objects similar to Leo T across the Centaurus region.
It will explore the extent of satellite planes around CenA.
Abstract
(Abridged) On small scales, there exists a tension between observations of dwarf galaxies and predictions for low-mass dark matter halos from simulations (often referred to as the small scale crisis). Detailed observations of low mass galaxies are critical for constraining the baryonic feedback processes that are used to alleviate these discrepancies. Dwarf galaxies with a substantial reservoir of neutral hydrogen (HI) are likely to be isolated, helping to disentangle intrinsic properties from evolutionary effects, and HI kinematics offer an immediate constraint on the hosting dark matter halo. Given MeerKAT's exquisite sensitivity, it can potentially contribute to these studies of low-mass HI-rich dwarf galaxies that will help resolve the small scale crisis. The current large HI surveys are not designed for these studies, but will still manage to detect a sample of galaxies with HI…
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Taxonomy
TopicsGalaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena · Astronomy and Astrophysical Research · Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies
