Shany Danieli, Yale University

Hunting low surface brightness galaxies with the Dragonfly Telephoto Array

Dwarf galaxies are a significant component of the galaxy population. Their number density, among other properties, provides strong constraints on theories of galaxy formation, stellar feedback processes, and the distribution and nature of dark matter. However, their low central surface brightnesses makes them difficult to detect and study beyond the Local Group, leading to a biased view of the full galaxy population. To address this problem a new robotic telescope was developed and built, called the Dragonfly Telephoto Array, that is optimized to explore the universe at surface brightness levels below 30 mag/arcsec^2. In this talk I’ll describe the technology behind the 1m f/0.4 refractor and present some early results in the dwarf galaxy regime. I will then present our strategy for finding these low surface brightness galaxies as part of the on-going Dragonfly Wide Field Survey that will cover 500 sq. deg. upon survey completion. We will use these data to empirically constrain the Luminosity Function of field galaxies down to the low mass end which is essential for understanding the nature of low-mass dark matter halos.

Shany Danieli is a Physics PhD student at Yale University, working with Prof. Pieter van Dokkum. She specializes in the formation and evolution of dwarf galaxies and Ultra Diffuse Galaxies, both in galaxy groups and in the field (isolated galaxies), using various observational tools such as the Dragonfly Telephoto Array and the Hubble Space Telescope.