Resolving the Structure of Dwarf Galaxies with the Roman HLWAS
| Program ID | 19051 |
|---|---|
| Science Category | Galaxies |
| Program Type | Analysis |
| Category | Small |
| Principal Investigator | Yasmeen Asali |
| PI Institution | Yale University |
| Co-Investigators |
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| Abstract | We propose to use the Roman High Latitude Wide Area Survey (HLWAS) to construct a uniform value-added catalog of structural and morphological measurements for all spectroscopically confirmed dwarf galaxies within z<0.05 in the HLWAS footprint. By combining Roman imaging with existing optical data and highly complete spectroscopic samples from SAGA, GAMA, and DESI, this program will provide the first statistical view of dwarf galaxy structure across a wide range of environments and broad wavelength baseline. The catalog will include galaxy sizes, shapes, and morphological parameters, along with measurements of compact internal components such as nuclear star clusters, globular clusters, and star-forming clumps. We will also publicly release an updated version of the open-source software package pysersic optimized for multi-component modeling of dwarf galaxies in Roman imaging. This program will enable four main science goals: constraining wavelength-dependent dwarf galaxy structure and stellar population gradients, measuring the origin and morphology of faint stellar outskirts, determining how nucleation depends on stellar mass and environment, and characterizing globular cluster systems in low-mass galaxies. The resulting public catalogs and software will provide a legacy resource for studies of dwarf galaxy formation and evolution throughout the Roman mission. |