The Invisibles: A Detection Algorithm to Trace the Faintest Milky Way Satellites

Abstract

[Abridged] A specialized data mining algorithm has been developed using wide-field photometry catalogues, enabling systematic and efficient searches for resolved, extremely low surface brightness satellite galaxies in the halo of the Milky Way (MW). Tested and calibrated with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 6 (SDSS-DR6) we recover all fifteen MW satellites recently detected in SDSS, six known MW/Local Group dSphs in the SDSS footprint, and 19 previously known globular and open clusters. In addition, 30 point source overdensities have been found that correspond to no cataloged objects. The detection efficiencies of the algorithm have been carefully quantified by simulating more than three million model satellites embedded in star fields typical of those observed in SDSS, covering a wide range of parameters including galaxy distance, scale-length, luminosity, and Galactic latitude.

arXiv comment22 pages, submitted to AJ. You can find a version with full resolution figures at http://msowww.anu.edu.au/~jerjen/SMS_papers.html. Replacement version includes small clarification of discussion and astro-ph numbers in references

References in corpus (56)

• Maps of Dust IR Emission for Use in Estimation of Reddening and CMBR Foregrounds
• The Sloan Digital Sky Survey: Technical Summary
• Dark Matter Substructure in Galactic Halos
• Where are the missing galactic satellites?
• Dwarf Galaxies of the Local Group
• The Sloan Digital Sky Survey Photometric Camera
• The u'g'r'i'z' Standard Star Network
• The Sixth Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey
• The Kinematics of the Ultra-Faint Milky Way Satellites: Solving the Missing Satellite Problem
• The Field of Streams: Sagittarius and its Siblings
• Astrometric Calibration of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey
• Reionization and the abundance of galactic satellites
• Cats and Dogs, Hair and A Hero: A Quintet of New Milky Way Companions
• The Fifth Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey
• A photometricity and extinction monitor at the Apache Point Observatory
• LCDM-based models for the Milky Way and M31 I: Dynamical Models
• The tumultuous lives of galactic dwarfs and the missing satellites problem
• Formation and evolution of galaxy dark matter halos and their substructure
• SkyMapper and the Southern Sky Survey
• A comprehensive Maximum Likelihood analysis of the structural properties of faint Milky Way satellites
• A New Milky Way Dwarf Galaxy in Ursa Major
• SDSS Data Management and Photometric Quality Assessment
• A Faint New Milky Way Satellite in Bootes
• Can Photoionization Squelching Resolve the Sub-structure Crisis?
• Hundreds of Milky Way Satellites? Luminosity Bias in the Satellite Luminosity Function
• A New Milky Way Dwarf Satellite in Canes Venatici
• A New Milky Way Companion: Unusual Globular Cluster or Extreme Dwarf Satellite?
• The great disk of Milky-Way satellites and cosmological sub-structures
• The Luminosity Function of the Milky Way Satellites
• A Curious New Milky Way Satellite in Ursa Major
• The Sloan Digital Sky Survey Monitor Telescope Pipeline
• Hierarchical galaxy formation and substructure in the Galaxy's stellar halo
• Discovery of an Unusual Dwarf Galaxy in the Outskirts of the Milky Way
• The Anisotropic Distribution of Galactic Satellites
• A Keck/DEIMOS spectroscopic survey of faint Galactic satellites: searching for the least massive dwarf galaxies
• Theoretical isochrones in several photometric systems II. The Sloan Digital Sky Survey ugriz system
• Early Metal Enrichment by Pregalactic Outflows: II. Simulations of Blow-away
• Redefining the Missing Satellites Problem
• A Pair of Bootes: A New Milky Way Satellite
• The spatial distribution of the Milky Way and Andromeda satellite galaxies
• Leo V: A Companion of a Companion of the Milky Way Galaxy
• The orbital poles of Milky Way satellite galaxies: a rotationally supported disc-of-satellites
• Anisotropic Distribution of SDSS Satellite Galaxies: Planar (not Polar) Alignment
• A trio of new Local Group galaxies with extreme properties
• The discovery of two extremely low luminosity Milky Way globular clusters
• Proper Motions of Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxies from Hubble Space Telescope Imaging. IV: Measurement for Sculptor
• Proper Motions of Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxies from Hubble Space Telescope Imaging. V: Final Measurement for Fornax
• The Observed and Predicted Spatial Distribution of Milky Way Satellite Galaxies
• The structural properties and star formation history of Leo T from deep LBT photometry
• Dwarf galaxy formation induced by galaxy interactions
• Are Great Disks Defined by Satellite Galaxies in Milky-Way Type Halos Rare in $\Lambda$CDM model?
• The Anisotropic Distribution of Satellite Galaxies
• Bootes II ReBooted: An MMT/MegaCam Study of An Ultra-Faint Milky Way Satellite
• An Observational Limit on the Dwarf Galaxy Population of the Local Group
• An SDSS Survey For Resolved Milky Way Satellite Galaxies I: Detection Limits
• The faint-end of the galaxy luminosity function in groups

Cited by in corpus (138)

• LSST: from Science Drivers to Reference Design and Anticipated Data Products
• Dark Matter Self-interactions and Small Scale Structure
• The Dark Energy Survey: more than dark energy - an overview
• Eight New Milky Way Companions Discovered in First-Year Dark Energy Survey Data
• The Faintest Dwarf Galaxies
• Beasts of the Southern Wild: Discovery of nine Ultra Faint satellites in the vicinity of the Magellanic Clouds
• Eight Ultra-faint Galaxy Candidates Discovered in Year Two of the Dark Energy Survey
• Cold dark matter: controversies on small scales
• A Stellar Mass Threshold for Quenching of Field Galaxies
• Baryons Matter: Why Luminous Satellite Galaxies Have Reduced Central Masses
• Why Baryons Matter: The Kinematics of Dwarf Spheroidal Satellites
• Theory of Dark Matter Superfluidity
• Galactic Searches for Dark Matter
• A Baryonic Solution to the Missing Satellites Problem
• Sagittarius II, Draco II and Laevens 3: three new Milky Way satellites discovered in the Pan-STARRS 1 3pi Survey
• There is No Missing Satellites Problem
• A quantitative explanation of the observed population of Milky Way satellite galaxies
• Local-Group tests of dark-matter Concordance Cosmology: Towards a new paradigm for structure formation
• The Least Luminous Galaxy: Spectroscopy of the Milky Way Satellite Segue 1
• There's no place like home? Statistics of Milky Way-mass dark matter halos
• Accurate Stellar Kinematics at Faint Magnitudes: application to the Bootes~I dwarf spheroidal galaxy
• Luminosity function and radial distribution of Milky Way Satellites in a LCDM Universe
• Constraints on the Dark Matter Particle Mass from the Number of Milky Way Satellites
• Structure Finding in Cosmological Simulations: The State of Affairs
• A kinematic study of the Andromeda dwarf spheroidal system
• Milky Way Satellite Census. I. The Observational Selection Function for Milky Way Satellites in DES Y3 and Pan-STARRS DR1
• The upper bound on the lowest mass halo
• Gravitational probes of dark matter physics
• Segue 2: The Least Massive Galaxy
• PAndAS' cubs: discovery of two new dwarf galaxies in the surroundings of the Andromeda and Triangulum galaxies
• A New Faint Milky Way Satellite Discovered in the Pan-STARRS1 3 pi Survey
• Willman 1 - a probable dwarf galaxy with an irregular kinematic distribution
• Horologium II: a Second Ultra-faint Milky Way Satellite in the Horologium Constellation
• Ultra faint dwarfs: probing early cosmic star formation
• The Gas Content and Stripping of Local Group Dwarf Galaxies
• Satellite abundances around bright isolated galaxies
• The total satellite population of the Milky Way
• Small-Scale Structure in the SDSS and LCDM: Isolated L* Galaxies with Bright Satellites
• How Common are the Magellanic Clouds?
• Phat ELVIS: The inevitable effect of the Milky Way's disk on its dark matter subhaloes
• A profile in FIRE: resolving the radial distributions of satellite galaxies in the Local Group with simulations
• Joint constraints on thermal relic dark matter from strong gravitational lensing, the Lyman-$\alpha$ forest, and Milky Way satellites
• Snake in the Clouds: A new nearby dwarf galaxy in the Magellanic bridge
• At the survey limits: discovery of the Aquarius 2 dwarf galaxy in the VST ATLAS and the SDSS data
• A Hero's Dark Horse: Discovery of an Ultra-Faint Milky Way Satellite in Pegasus
• Massive black holes lurking in Milky Way satellites
• The PAndAS view of the Andromeda satellite system - I. A Bayesian search for dwarf galaxies using spatial and color-magnitude information
• Where are the Fossils of the First Galaxies? II. True Fossils, Ghost Halos, and the Missing Bright Satellites
• Turning the Tides on the Ultra-Faint Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxies: Coma Berenices and Ursa Major II
• The Impact of Inhomogeneous Reionization on the Satellite Galaxy Population of the Milky Way
• The Mass Distribution and Assembly of the Milky Way from the Properties of the Magellanic Clouds
• Too Many, Too Few, or Just Right? The Predicted Number and Distribution of Milky Way Dwarf Galaxies
• A new distant Milky Way globular cluster in the Pan-STARRS1 3π survey
• Tidal Signatures in the Faintest Milky Way Satellites: The Detailed Properties of Leo V, Pisces II and Canes Venatici II
• A Robust Determination of Milky Way Satellite Properties using Hierarchical Mass Modeling
• Quantifying scatter in galaxy formation at the lowest masses
• The Dragonfly Nearby Galaxies Survey. III. The Luminosity Function of the M101 Group
• Where are the Fossils of the First Galaxies? I. Local Volume Maps and Properties of the Undetected Dwarfs
• Going, going, gone dark: Quantifying the scatter in the faintest dwarf galaxies
• A New Milky Way Satellite Discovered In The Subaru/Hyper Suprime-Cam Survey
• The predicted luminous satellite populations around SMC and LMC-mass galaxies - A missing satellite problem around the LMC?
• Searches for New Milky Way Satellites from the First Two Years of Data of the Subaru/Hyper Suprime-Cam Survey: Discovery of Cetus~III
• Planes of satellites around Milky Way/M31-mass galaxies in the FIRE simulations and comparisons with the Local Group
• The Local Group as a time machine: studying the high-redshift Universe with nearby galaxies
• Core-collapse, evaporation and tidal effects: the life story of a self-interacting dark matter subhalo
• Modeling the Connection Between Subhalos and Satellites in Milky Way-like Systems
• The masses of Local Group dwarf spheroidal galaxies: The death of the universal mass profile
• Scaling Laws for Dark Matter Halos in Late-Type and Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxies
• A photometric and spectroscopic study of the new dwarf spheroidal galaxy in Hercules
• Stealth Galaxies in the Halo of the Milky Way
• La Silla QUEST RR Lyrae Star Survey: Region I
• Resolved Dwarf Galaxy Searches within ~5 Mpc with the Vera Rubin Observatory and Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam
• Discovery of a new faint dwarf galaxy associated with NGC 253
• The Leo IV dwarf spheroidal galaxy: color-magnitude diagram and pulsating stars
• Gaia 1 and 2. A pair of new Galactic star clusters
• From Galaxy Clusters to Ultra-Faint Dwarf Spheroidals: A Fundamental Curve Connecting Dispersion-supported Galaxies to Their Dark Matter Halos
• Dancing in the Dark: Uncertainty in ultra-faint dwarf galaxy predictions from cosmological simulations
• A new Milky Way halo star cluster in the Southern Galactic Sky
• A Hero's Little Horse: Discovery of a Dissolving Star Cluster in Pegasus
• Boötes IV: A New Milky Way Satellite Discovered in the Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam Survey and Implications for the Missing Satellite Problem
• Properties of Resonantly Produced Sterile Neutrino Dark Matter Subhalos
• Environmental Quenching of Low-Mass Field Galaxies
• Constraining the Milky Way Mass Profile with Phase-Space Distribution of Satellite Galaxies
• An observer's guide to the (Local Group) dwarf galaxies: predictions for their own dwarf satellite populations
• Hunting Faint Dwarf Galaxies in the Field Using Integrated Light Surveys
• Local Group Ultra-Faint Dwarf Galaxies in the Reionization Era
• Stacking the Invisibles: A Guided Search for Low-Luminosity Milky Way Satellites
• Radial Distributions of Dwarf Satellite Systems in the Local Volume
• Dark-matter decays and Milky Way satellite galaxies
• Gravitational lensing as a probe of cold dark matter subhalos
• Kim 3: an Ultra-faint Star Cluster in the Constellation of Centaurus
• The Role of Baryons in Creating Statistically Significant Planes of Satellites around Milky Way-Mass Galaxies
• Is Draco II one of the faintest dwarf galaxies? First study from Keck/DEIMOS spectroscopy
• The LBT Satellites of Nearby Galaxies Survey (LBT-SONG): The Satellite Population of NGC 628
• The Cosmic Abundance of Classical Milky Way Satellites
• On the stark difference in satellite distributions around the Milky Way and Andromeda
• Two Local Volume Dwarf Galaxies Discovered in 21 cm Emission: Pisces A and B
• A comprehensive view of the Virgo Stellar Stream
• The Chemistry of the Trailing arm of the Sagittarius Dwarf Galaxy
• Milky Way Tomography with K and M Dwarf Stars: the Vertical Structure of the Galactic Disk
• The tidal tails of NGC 2298
• A comparative study of satellite galaxies in Milky Way-like galaxies from HSC, DECaLS and SDSS
• The alignment of SDSS satellites with the VPOS: effects of the survey footprint shape
• Charting Unexplored Dwarf Galaxy Territory With RR Lyrae
• Stellar Stream and Halo Structure in the Andromeda Galaxy From a Subaru/Hyper Suprime-Cam Survey
• Search for globular clusters associated with the Milky Way dwarf galaxies using Gaia DR2
• Pegasus V -- a newly discovered ultra-faint dwarf galaxy on the outskirts of Andromeda
• A recently quenched isolated dwarf galaxy outside of the Local Group environment
• Ursa Major III/UNIONS 1: the darkest galaxy ever discovered?
• Stellar over-densities in the halo: the extent of the Virgo over-density
• Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA): detection of low-surface-brightness galaxies from SDSS data
• A Search for Satellite Galaxies of Nearby Star-Forming Galaxies with Resolved Stars in LBT-SONG
• The Dark Energy Survey: Prospects for Resolved Stellar Populations
• Disentangling the Virgo Overdensity with RR Lyrae stars
• The PAndAS View of the Andromeda Satellite System. III. Dwarf galaxy detection limits
• Five Gas-rich Ultra-faint Dwarf Galaxy Candidates Discovered in WIYN Imaging of ALFALFA Sources
• Re-Examining Astrophysical Constraints on the Dark Matter Model
• A portrait of the Vast Polar Structure as a young phenomenon: hints from its member satellites
• Sizing from the Smallest Scales: The Mass of the Milky Way
• Local Group Dwarf Galaxy Detection Limit in the CSST survey
• Local Group dSph radio survey with ATCA (I): Observations and background sources
• The Luminosity Functions and Redshift Evolution of Satellites of Low-Mass Galaxies in the COSMOS Survey
• Main Sequence Star Populations in the Virgo Overdensity Region
• Searching for Optical Counterparts to Ultra-compact High Velocity Clouds: Possible Detection of a Counterpart to AGC 198606
• Prospects for Detecting Gamma Rays from Annihilating Dark Matter in Dwarf Galaxies in the Era of DES and LSST
• GHOSTS I: A New Faint very Isolated Dwarf Galaxy at D = 12 +/- 2 Mpc
• The undiscovered ultra-diffuse galaxies of the Local Group
• Scope of strongly self-interacting thermal WIMPs in a minimal $U(1{)}_D$ extension and its future prospects
• Universal subhalo accretion in cold and warm dark matter cosmologies
• A Ghost in Boötes: The Least Luminous Disrupted Dwarf Galaxy
• The Hierarchical Structure of Galactic Haloes: Classification and characterisation with Halo-OPTICS
• Photometric Metallicities in Bootes I
• A Correlated Search for Local Dwarf Galaxies in GALFA-HI and Pan-STARRS
• Quantifying the Detectability of Milky Way Satellites with Image Simulations: a Case Study with KiDS
• DELVE Milky Way Satellite Galaxy Census I: Satellite Population and Survey Selection Function in DES, DELVE, and Pan-STARRS
• A Search for Gas-Rich Dwarf Galaxies in the Local Universe with ALFALFA and the WIYN One Degree Imager
• Star-Galaxy Classification in Deep LSST Data with Random Forest: A Pilot study on the Data Preview 1 Release
• Forward-modelling the Luminosity, Distance, and Size distributions of the Milky Way Satellites