Dwarf Galaxies: Keys to Galaxy Formation and Evolution: Proceedings of Symposium 3 of JENAM 2010 (Astrophysics and Space Science Proceedings)

Annotation Dwarf galaxy research constitutes an extremely vibrant field of astrophysical research, with many long-standing questions still unsettled and new ones constantly arising. The intriguing diversity of the dwarf galaxy population, observed with advanced ground-based and space-borne observatories over a wide spectral window providing an unprecedented level of detail, poses new challenges for both observers and theoreticians. The aim of this symposium was to bring together these two groups to exchange ideas and new results on the many evolutionary aspects of and open issues concerning dwarf galaxies. The main topics addressed include: the birth of dwarf galaxies: theoretical concepts and observable relics across wavelengths and time, the morphological, structural and chemical evolution of dwarf galaxies, possible evolutionary connections between early-type and late-type dwarfs, the star formation history of dwarf galaxies and its dependence on intrinsic and environmental properties, the origin and implications of starburst activity in dwarf galaxies, the fate of dwarfish systems born out of tidally ejected matter in galaxy collisions Front Matter....Pages i-xxii Front Matter....Pages 1-2 Outstanding Questions in Dwarf Galaxy Research....Pages 3-21 The ISM of Dwarf Galaxies....Pages 23-36 Front Matter....Pages 37-38 Predicting the Frequencies of Young and of Tiny Galaxies....Pages 39-46 The Chemical and Dynamical Evolution of Isolated Dwarf Galaxies....Pages 47-54 Formation and Evolution of Gas-Rich Dwarf Galaxies....Pages 55-58 Flat Metallicity Profiles in Rotating Dwarf Galaxies....Pages 59-64 The Formation of Ultra-Compact Dwarf Galaxies and Nucleated Dwarf Galaxies....Pages 65-73 Morphological Mutations of Dwarf Galaxies....Pages 75-91 Front Matter....Pages 93-94 Stellar Archeology: A Cosmological View of dSphs....Pages 95-102 Constraints on the Effects of Reionization in the Star Formation History of Dwarf Galaxies: Some Conclusions from the LCID Project....Pages 103-111 The Sagittarius Dwarf Galaxy as a Product of Tidal Stirring....Pages 113-117 A Chemical Evolution of Local Dwarf Galaxies: Draco Galaxy....Pages 119-122 Spatial Distribution of Stellar Components in the Magellanic Clouds....Pages 123-126 Origin and Evolution State of the Fehrenbach-Duflot Star....Pages 127-130 Front Matter....Pages 131-132 Dwarf Elliptical Galaxies: United and Divided....Pages 133-149 The [α/Fe] Ratios in Dwarf Galaxies: Evidence for a Non-universal Stellar Initial Mass Function?....Pages 151-154 A SAURON Study of Dwarf Elliptical Galaxies in the Virgo Cluster: Kinematics and Stellar Populations....Pages 155-162 Dust in Cluster Dwarf Elliptical Galaxies....Pages 163-167 LPVs as Possible Distance Indicators in NGC147 and NGC185....Pages 169-172 Front Matter....Pages 173-174 Star Forming Dwarf Galaxies....Pages 175-194 Front Matter....Pages 173-174 Measuring Star Formation Rates in Dwarf Galaxies....Pages 195-204 3D Spectroscopic Observations of Star-Forming Dwarf Galaxies....Pages 205-213 Ionization Conditions in the Central Giant H II Region of NGC 5253....Pages 215-219 Mapping the Properties of Blue Compact Dwarf Galaxies by Means of Integral Field Spectroscopy....Pages 221-224 Physical Properties of 6dF Dwarf Galaxies....Pages 225-229 Wolf-Rayet Galaxies in SDSS DR7....Pages 231-234 Lyman α Emission and Super-Star Clusters in Dwarf Galaxies....Pages 235-242 Unveiling the Nature of the “Green Pea” Galaxies....Pages 243-251 On the Metallicity of Blue Compact Dwarfs....Pages 253-259 The LITTLE THINGS Survey....Pages 261-267 Warp or Lag? The Ionized and Neutral Hydrogen Gas in the Edge-on Dwarf Galaxy UGC 1281....Pages 269-273 Front Matter....Pages 275-276 Properties of Hα Emitting Dwarf Galaxies in Nearby Clusters....Pages 277-284 Dwarf Galaxies in Nearby Galaxy Groups....Pages 285-288 Dust Content of Virgo Star-Forming Dwarf Galaxies....Pages 289-293 Dwarf Galaxies in Nearby Groups of Galaxies: Photometric Properties....Pages 295-299 Near-Infrared Structural Properties of Irregular Dwarf Galaxies in Nearby Galaxy Groups....Pages 301-303 Birth, Life and Survival of Tidal Dwarf Galaxies....Pages 305-313 Dwarf Galaxies in the Nearby Lynx-Cancer Void: Photometry, Colours and Ages....Pages 315-319 Pairwise Dwarf Galaxy Formation and Galaxy Downsizing: Some Clues from Extremely Metal-Poor Blue Compact Dwarf Galaxies....Pages 321-325 Back Matter....Pages 327-343 The intriguing diversity of the dwarf galaxy population, observed with advanced ground-based and space-borne observatories over a wide spectral window providing an unprecedented level of detail, poses new challenges for both observers and theoreticians. This symposium aims to bring together these two groups to exchange ideas and new results.