3:30–5:00 pm
Title: Illuminating the Milky Way’s Stellar Streams: Insights from Large-Scale Spectroscopic Surveys
Abstract: Stellar streams serve as exceptional tracers in near-field cosmology, providing critical insights into galaxy formation and evolution, as well as the fundamental nature of dark matter. My talk will feature two major ongoing spectroscopic programs targeting the Milky Way’s streams. The Southern Stellar Stream Spectroscopic Survey (S5) is the first systematic effort to map known streams in the Southern Hemisphere, utilizing the AAOmega spectrograph on the Anglo-Australian Telescope. Complementing this, the Milky Way Survey of the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) is a recently launched 5-year initiative targeting the Northern Hemisphere. Together, these surveys are delivering unprecedented 6D kinematic and chemical data on dozens of streams, transforming our understanding of the Milky Way’s chemo-dynamical evolution, including the tidal disruption of satellite galaxies and globular clusters. I will also discuss the broader implications of these findings for dark matter and near-field cosmology, concluding with a perspective on next-generation spectroscopic surveys.
Zoom: https://uchicago.zoom.us/j/93381746022?pwd=154p1wHz69diNZPS9Ar47URvOUCOcz.1
