Probing Dark Matter Halos with Ultra-Faint Dwarf Galaxies: A Spectroscopic Analysis of Leo V

The nature of dark matter presents one of the most significant problems in astrophysics. Ultra-faint dwarf (UFD) galaxies may play a key role in solving this mystery, as they are the most dark-matter dominated systems known and they allow us to probe dark matter halos down to the scale of tens of parsecs. However, many UFDs have few known member stars, making it difficult to provide robust measurements of the galaxies’ key features. We are currently locating new members and providing refined, consistent measurements of physical parameters for 15 UFDs using publicly archived spectroscopic data from the Very Large Telescope. We present a representative analysis of Leo V, a UFD with twelve known non-variable member stars. We identify three new likely members in addition to five new plausible members that require further follow-up, and perform a comparative analysis of seven previously discovered members. Using our catalogue of member stars, we perform a search for binary stars within the galaxy and investigate the possibility that Leo V is tidally disrupted. Our analysis of Leo V and other UFDs will enhance our understanding of these enigmatic stellar populations and contribute to future dark matter studies.