6–10 Jul 2026
University of the Western Cape
Africa/Johannesburg timezone
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Dark Matter Content of Gas-Rich Dwarf Galaxies

9 Jul 2026, 09:50
20m
Lecture Hall C5 (University of the Western Cape)

Lecture Hall C5

University of the Western Cape

Oral Presentation Track D - Astrophysics & Space Science Astrophysics & Space Science

Speaker

OWEN BEUKES (NORTH WEST UNIVERSITY)

Description

Using high resolution RSS longslit data recently obtained from SALT, we have obtained the mass distribution in a nearby gas-rich dwarf galaxy - UGCA 014. In this talk, I will present the first rotation curve for this
galaxy derived from its Hβ ionized gas component. I will show that the rotation curve exhibits a steep rise in the inner kiloparsec, reaching a velocity of ∼42 km/s, and remains flat out to the radial extent of our
data at 1.88 kpc. I will provide evidence that there is a substantial dark matter component starting from the inner regions of the galaxy by comparing the observed circular velocity curve with an exponential, stellar-only model which accounts for the stellar velocity dispersion. Lastly, I will show that at a fiducial radius of 1.5 kpc,half of the total mass in UGCA 014 is made up of dark matter.

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Author

OWEN BEUKES (NORTH WEST UNIVERSITY)

Co-author

Dr Adebusola Alabi (North West University)

Presentation materials