Julio Navarro
Canada – University of Victoria
Galaxy density profiles: significance and origins
Abstract: I will discuss possible explanations for the origin of the density profiles of galaxies and dark matter halos, their physical significance, and applications. Aside from some historical notes, I aim to show simple examples of how stellar density profiles may be used to track the importance of Galactic tides on the evolution of the dwarf spheroidal satellites of the Milky Way. Such tidal effects may also be used to distinguish between faint star clusters and dark matter-dominated dwarfs: a recent application suggests that we may have recently identified the faintest, smallest, and densest galaxy ever discovered. These findings have important consequences for the LCDM paradigm and alternative dark matter theories.