Milky Way Satellites Shining Bright in Gravitational Waves

The population of Milky Way satellite galaxies is of great interest for cosmology, fundamental physics, and astrophysics. They represent the faint end of the galaxy luminosity function, are the most dark-matter-dominated objects in the local universe, and contain the oldest and most metal-poor stell...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Astrophysical journal. Letters 2020-05, Vol.894 (2), p.L15
Main Authors: Roebber, Elinore, Buscicchio, Riccardo, Vecchio, Alberto, Moore, Christopher J., Klein, Antoine, Korol, Valeriya, Toonen, Silvia, Gerosa, Davide, Goldstein, Janna, Gaebel, Sebastian M., Woods, Tyrone E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Astrophysics
Cosmology
Dwarf galaxies
Galaxies
Gravitation
Gravitational wave astronomy
Gravitational waves
LISA (antenna)
Local group (astronomy)
Luminosity
Magellanic Clouds
Milky Way
Satellite observation
Satellites
Sky surveys (astronomy)
Stellar populations
White dwarf stars
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Summary:The population of Milky Way satellite galaxies is of great interest for cosmology, fundamental physics, and astrophysics. They represent the faint end of the galaxy luminosity function, are the most dark-matter-dominated objects in the local universe, and contain the oldest and most metal-poor stellar populations. Recent surveys have revealed around 60 satellites, but this could represent less than half of the total. Characterization of these systems remains a challenge due to their low luminosity. We consider the gravitational-wave observatory LISA as a potential tool for studying these satellites through observations of their short-period double white dwarf populations. LISA will observe the entire sky without selection effects due to dust extinction, complementing optical surveys, and could potentially discover massive satellites hidden behind the disk of the Galaxy.
ISSN:2041-8205
2041-8213
DOI:10.3847/2041-8213/ab8ac9