Towards Resolving the Small Scale Problems with Cold Dark Matter: An Observational and Theoretical Collaborative Effort

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Dr. Rachel Kuzio deNaray is awarded an NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowship to carry out a program of research and education at the University of California-Irvine to determine the behavior of dark matter on small scales. Dr. Kuzio deNaray will (1) push the observational sample to include dark-matter-dominated, low-mass dwarf galaxies, (2) create galaxy-halo simulations of increasing complexity to compare to observations, (3) explore alternative dark-matter candidates, and (4) bring her expertise of galaxy kinematics to the Carnegie-Irvine Nearby Galaxies Survey collaboration.Dr. Kuzio deNaray will also develop a new observation-based group project for the Astronomy and Astrophysics cluster of the California State Summer School for Math and Science (COSMOS), a month-long residential summer program for high-school juniors and seniors. Using galaxy rotation-curve data from Dr. Kuzio deNaray's observing runs at Kitt Peak National Observatory, the students will explore the observational evidence of the existence of dark matter.