Progetti di ricerca

The standard cosmological model (ΛCDM) makes clear predictions regarding the abundance and structure of dark matter (DM) halos, the sites where galaxies form. These predictions are accurate at describing large-scale observations. On small mass scales, however, the agreement between ΛCDM… Leggi tutto and observations of dwarf galaxies is unclear because galaxies do not form in every halo, and when they form they can affect their host halo. Is ΛCDM successful on small scales? Answering this question may reveal the elusive nature of DM or change our understanding of how cosmic structures form. Our research will deliver the foundations to decipher the nature of DM through astrophysical observations on yet unexplored scales. We will exploit the existence of “dark” galaxies (so-called RELHICs) – novel astrophysical systems that may have been detected for the first time in 2023 – whose detailed properties are sensitive to the identity of DM. We propose a joint theoretical and observational effort exploiting novel developments: (i) a new GPU radiative transfer code that is over two orders of magnitude faster than CPU counterparts, that will enable highly efficient self-consistent cosmological radiation hydrodynamic simulations of galaxy formation; (ii) a novel galaxy formation model, COLIBRE, which simulates galaxy formation with an unprecedented level of details, that will enable the most realistic simulations of the population of RELHICs and galaxies with different types of DM; (iii) the proven sensitivity of the FAST radio telescope to detect RELHICs in the near Universe. Our programme will deliver the most comprehensive suite of realistic radiation hydrodynamic simulations of galaxy formation to date together with the modelling tools required to transform current and future observations of RELHICs and faint galaxies with instruments such as SKA, MeerKAT, WALLABY, and VLA, into the most robust astrophysical constraints to the identity of DM and its self-interacting cross-section.