ON THEr-PROCESS ENRICHMENT OF DWARF SPHEROIDAL GALAXIES

Supernova Enrichment of Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxies

Many dwarf galaxies exhibit sub-Solar metallicities, with some star-to-star variation, despite often containing multiple generations of stars. The total metal content in these systems is much less than expected from the heavy element production of massive stars in each episode of star formation. Such a deficiency implies that a substantial fraction of the enriched material has been lost from th...

Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxies

Internal Kinematics of Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxies

We discuss the quality of kinematic data in dwarf spheroidal galaxies, the current interpretations of those data, and prospects for actually deriving the mass profile in these galaxies. We then discuss stellar populations constraints on some of the models that attempt to explain the kinematics and formation of the dSph’s.

Life and times of dwarf spheroidal galaxies

We propose a cosmological scenario for the formation and evolution of dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSphs), satellites of the Milky Way (MW). An improved version of the semi-analytical code GAMETE (GAlaxy Merger Tree & Evolution) is used to follow the dSphs evolution simultaneously with the MW formation, matching the observed properties of both. In this scenario dSph galaxies represent fossil obje...

Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxies : Keystones of Galaxy Evolution

Dwarf spheroidal galaxies are the most insignificant extragalactic stellar systems in terms of their visibility, but potentially very significant in terms of their role in the formation and evolution of much more luminous galaxies. We discuss the present observational data and their implications for theories of the formation and evolution of both dwarf and giant galaxies. The putative dark matt...