Measuring the local dark matter density

We examine systematic problems in determining the local matter density from the vertical motion of stars, i.e. the 'Oort limit'. Using collisionless simulations and a Monte Carlo Markov Chain technique, we determine the data quality required to detect local dark matter at its expected density. We find that systematic errors are more important than observational errors and apply our technique to Hipparcos data to reassign realistic error bars to the local dark matter density.Comment: 3 pages, 1 figure, to be published in "Hunting for the Dark: The Hidden Side of Galaxy Formation", Malta, 19-23 Oct. 2009, eds. V.P. Debattista & C.C. Popescu, AIP Conf. Se

Galactic fountains and gas accretion

Star-forming disc galaxies such as the Milky Way need to accrete \gsim 1 $M_{\odot}$ of gas each year to sustain their star formation. This gas accretion is likely to come from the cooling of the hot corona, however it is still not clear how this process can take place. We present simulations supporting the idea that this cooling and the subsequent accretion are caused by the passage of cold galactic-fountain clouds through the hot corona. The Kelvin-Helmholtz instability strips gas from these clouds and the stripped gas causes coronal gas to condense in the cloud's wake. For likely parameters of the Galactic corona and of typical fountain clouds we obtain a global accretion rate of the order of that required to feed the star formation.Comment: 2 pages, 1 figure, to appear in "Hunting for the Dark: The Hidden Side of Galaxy Formation", Malta, 19-23 Oct. 2009, eds. V.P. Debattista & C.C. Popescu, AIP Conf. Se

Are stellar over-densities in dwarf galaxies the "smoking gun" of triaxial dark matter haloes?

We use N-body simulations to study the tidal evolution of globular clusters (GCs) in dwarf spheroidal (dSph) galaxies. Our models adopt a cosmologically motivated scenario in which the dSph is approximated by a static NFW halo with a triaxial shape. For a large set of orbits and projection angles we examine the spatial and velocity distribution of stellar debris deposited during the complete disruption of stellar clusters. Our simulations show that such debris appears as shells, isolated clumps and elongated over-densities at low surface brightness (>26 mag/arcsec^2), reminiscent of substructure observed in several MW dSphs. Such features arise from the triaxiality of the galaxy potential and do not dissolve in time. Stellar over-densities reported in several MW dSphs may thus be the telltale evidence of dark matter haloes being triaxial in shape. We explore a number of kinematic signatures that would help to validate (or falsify) this scenario. The mean angular momentum of the cluster debris associated with box and resonant orbits, which are absent in spherical potentials, is null. As a result, we show that the line-of-sight velocity distribution may exhibit a characteristic "double-peak" depending on the oriention of the viewing angle with respect to the progenitor's orbital plane. Kinematic surveys of dSphs may help to detect and identify substructures associated with the disruption of stellar clusters, as well as to address the shape of the dark matter haloes in which dSphs are embedded.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, to be published in the proceedings of "Hunting for the Dark: The Hidden Side of Galaxy Formation", Malta, 19-23 Oct. 2009, eds. V.P. Debattista & C.C. Popescu, AIP Conf. Ser., in pres