Will simulate dwarf galaxies and the universe’s dark matter 

The unknown matter in the universe, which researchers call dark matter, is particularly abundant in ultra-faint dwarf galaxies. To get an idea of what this dark matter actually is, Wallenberg Academy Fellow Azadeh Fattahi will develop advanced computer simulations of how these dwarf galaxies form and evolve. 

Researchers know that there is dark matter in the universe because its gravity affects stars and galaxies. According to current models, galaxies are formed in the center of an expansive accumulation – a halo – of dark matter. In the smallest galaxies, dwarf galaxies, the mass is dominated by such a halo of dark matter; some dwarf galaxies have a thousand times more dark matter than visible matter. 

To better understand the nature of dark matter, Dr Azadeh Fattahi from Durham University, UK, will develop extremely advanced simulations of how ultra-faint dwarf galaxies form in a dark matter halo. The aim is for the simulation to have a resolution that is 100 times better than previous simulations of dwarf galaxies. 

Azadeh Fattahi will then use the simulation to explore galaxies and dark matter. For example, she will test giving the dark matter different properties, investigating how these influence the formation of the galaxy and how the simulation results correspond to real observations. One hope is for the simulations to provide such a good picture of the universe that she will be able to predict the location of dwarf galaxies so faint that we have not yet discovered them. 

As a Wallenberg Academy Fellow, Azadeh Fattahi will work at Stockholm University. 

Photo Patrik Lundin