Speaker
Description
Dark galaxies are structures characterized by a large dark matter halo devoid of star formation. Although they are both predicted by the Lambda Cold Dark Matter model and present in cosmological simulations, definitive observations of dark galaxies do not yet exist. In this work, we search for potential dark galaxy candidates in HI detections made by the Arecibo radio telescope from 2005 to 2012. We do so by cross-referencing multiple catalogs of Arecibo Legacy Fast ALFA (ALFALFA) observations believed to lack an optical counterpart in visual surveys. These catalogs include those compiled by Kwon et al. 2025 and Luke Leisman in his 2017 senior thesis. By analyzing their spectra and associated imaging counterparts, we develop a list of 73 detections that are best fit for follow-up by the Green Bank Telescope (GBT), which will reproduce their spectra at a much higher sensitivity than previously done.
| What area of study best describes your talk? | Analysis |
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