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Dr. Gurtina Besla's research focuses on the formation and evolution of low mass dwarf galaxies, which are the most common class of galaxies found in our universe at any epoch in time. Through numerical simulations, Dr. Besla explores the impact of gravitational interactions on the observed properties of low mass galaxies in various environments. Dr. Besla is a world expert in the study of the closest example of an interacting pair of dwarf galaxies, the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds. Readily seen by the naked eye in the southern hemisphere, the Magellanic Clouds are our Milky Way Galaxy's largest satellite galaxies. Dr. Besla's research on these galaxies has overturned conventional wisdom, illustrating that the Magellanic Clouds are likely recent interlopers in our neighborhood rather than long term companions to our Galaxy.Show Less
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Courses
- TATheoretical Astrophysics
- AEAAdvanced Extragalactic Astronomy
- WASSWriting Across the Space Sciences
Grants
- NOIRLab CSDC Data Lab Spectroscopy Project
Co-Investigator (COI)
2022
$42.9K
Active - Internal Proper Motion Kinematics of Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxies: Constraining the Density and Properties of Dark Matter
Principal Investigator (PI)
2022
$16.1K
Active - Andromeda and the Seven Dwarfs: M31 Mass, Satellite Orbits, and the Nature of the Satellite Plane
Principal Investigator (PI)
2021
$29.8K
Active - Resolved Proper Motions of M33
Principal Investigator (PI)
2021
$14.9K
Active - CAREER: Constraining the Nature and Distribution of Dark Matter in the Era of High-Precision Astrometry
Principal Investigator (PI)
2020
$745.0K
Active - Orbits of Isolated Dwarfs: Local Group Mass and Environmental Quenching
Principal Investigator (PI)
2020
$30.0K
Active - Resolved Proper Motions of M31 and the M31-M32 Interaction
Principal Investigator (PI)
2019
$19.2K
Active - NOIRLab CSDC Data Lab Spectroscopy Project 2021
Co-Investigator (COI)
2021
$21.8K
- The Impact of Massive Satellites on the Dark Matter Halos of the Milky Way and M31
Principal Investigator (PI)
2018
$356.4K
- Collaborative Research: The Hierarchical Mergers of Low Mass Galaxies
Principal Investigator (PI)
2017
$319.9K
News
- Astrophysicists Help Chart Dark Matter's Invisible 'Ocean'
2021
- On Student Success, This Astronomer Walks the Walk
2020
- How Do You Weigh a Galaxy? Especially the One You're In?
2018
Publications (74)
Recent
- The Clustering of Orbital Poles Induced by the LMC: Hints for the Origin of Planes of Satellites
2021
- The role of faint population III supernovae in forming CEMP stars in ultra-faint dwarf galaxies
2021
- All-sky dynamical response of the Galactic halo to the Large Magellanic Cloud
2021
- Highly r-process enhanced stars in ultra-faint dwarf galaxies
2021
- Star Formation Histories of Ultra-faint Dwarf Galaxies: Environmental Differences between Magellanic and Non-Magellanic Satellites?
2021
- The Second Data Release of the Survey of the MAgellanic Stellar History (SMASH)
2021
- The Large Magellanic Cloud stellar content with SMASH. I. Assessing the stability of the Magellanic spiral arms
2020
- Quantifying the impact of the Large Magellanic Cloud on the structure of the Milky Way's dark matter halo using Basis Function Expansions
2020
- Quantifying the Stellar Halo's Response to the LMC's Infall with Spherical Harmonics
2020
- The Orbital Histories of Magellanic Satellites Using Gaia DR2 Proper Motions
2020
- HST Proper Motions of NGC 147 and NGC 185: Orbital Histories and Tests of a Dynamically Coherent Andromeda Satellite Plane
2020
- Discovery of Magellanic Stellar Debris in the H3 Survey
2020
- The highest-speed local dark matter particles come from the Large Magellanic Cloud
2019
- The Proper-motion Field along the Magellanic Bridge: A New Probe of the LMC-SMC Interaction
2019
- Training the Future Generation of Computational Researchers
2019
- Hunting for the Dark Matter Wake Induced by the Large Magellanic Cloud
2019
- First Gaia Dynamics of the Andromeda System: DR2 Proper Motions, Orbits, and Rotation of M31 and M33
2019
- Exploring the Very Extended Low-surface-brightness Stellar Populations of the Large Magellanic Cloud with SMASH
2019
- Nature of a shell of young stars in the outskirts of the Small Magellanic Cloud
2019
- Probing the Assembly of Dwarf Galaxies through Cosmic Time with Damped Lyensuremath{alpha} Absorption Spectroscopy
2019
- Modelling the baryon cycle in low-mass galaxy encounters: the case of NGC 4490 and NGC 4485
2018
- The influence of Sagittarius and the Large Magellanic Cloud on the stellar disc of the Milky Way Galaxy
2018
- The Proper Motion Field of the Small Magellanic Cloud: Kinematic Evidence for Its Tidal Disruption
2018
- Response of the Milky Way's disc to the Large Magellanic Cloud in a first infall scenario
2018
- Resolved Kinematics of Runaway and Field OB Stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud
2018
- SMASHing the LMC: A Tidally Induced Warp in the Outer LMC and a Large-scale Reddening Map
2018
- Gaia DR2 proper motions of dwarf galaxies within 420 kpc. Orbits, Milky Way mass, tidal influences, planar alignments, and group infall
2018
- The Missing Satellites of the Magellanic Clouds? Gaia Proper Motions of the Recently Discovered Ultra-faint Galaxies
2018
- The frequency of dwarf galaxy multiples at low redshift in SDSS versus cosmological expectations
2018
- SMASHing the LMC: Mapping a Ring-like Stellar Overdensity in the LMC Disk
2018
- Estimating the Mass of the Milky Way Using the Ensemble of Classical Satellite Galaxies
2018
- Absolute Hubble Space Telescope Proper Motion (HSTPROMO) of Distant Milky Way Globular Clusters: Galactocentric Space Velocities and the Milky Way Mass
2018
- Connecting the First Galaxies with Ultrafaint Dwarfs in the Local Group: Chemical Signatures of Population III Stars
2017
- Space Motions of the Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxies Draco and Sculptor Based on HST Proper Motions with a {tilde10 yr Time Baseline}
2017
- SMASH: Survey of the MAgellanic Stellar History
2017
- The Influence of Sagittarius and the Large Magellanic Cloud on the Milky Way Galaxy
2017
- Orbits of massive satellite galaxies - I. A close look at the Large Magellanic Cloud and a new orbital history for M33
2017
- SMHASH: Anatomy of the Orphan Stream using RR Lyrae stars
2017
- Orbits of massive satellite galaxies - II. Bayesian estimates of the Milky Way and Andromeda masses using high-precision astrometry and cosmological simulations
2017
- Direct evidence of hierarchical assembly at low masses from isolated dwarf galaxy groups
2017
- A Widespread, Clumpy Starburst in the Isolated Ongoing Dwarf Galaxy Merger dm1647+21
2017
- A stellar overdensity associated with the Small Magellanic Cloud
2017
- Low Surface Brightness Imaging of the Magellanic System: Imprints of Tidal Interactions between the Clouds in the Stellar Periphery
2016
- A timing constraint on the (total) mass of the Large Magellanic Cloud
2016
- Hubble Space Telescope Proper Motions of Individual Stars in Stellar Streams: Orphan, Sagittarius, Lethe, and the New ``Parallel Stream''
2016
- SMASH 1: A Very Faint Globular Cluster Disrupting in the Outer Reaches of the LMC?
2016
- Local Volume TiNy Titans: gaseous dwarf-dwarf interactions in the Local Universe
2016
- Variable Stars in the Field of the Hydra II Ultra-faint Dwarf Galaxy
2016
- And Yet it Moves: The Dangers of Artificially Fixing the Milky Way Center of Mass in the Presence of a Massive Large Magellanic Cloud
2015
- Hydra II: A Faint and Compact Milky Way Dwarf Galaxy Found in the Survey of the Magellanic Stellar History
2015
- TiNy Titans: The Role of Dwarf-Dwarf Interactions in Low-mass Galaxy Evolution
2015
- Star Formation History of the Magellanic Clouds: a survey program with DECam@4mCTIO
2015
- Ram Pressure Stripping of the Large Magellanic Cloud’s Disk as a Probe of the Milky Way’s Hot Gaseous Halo Density and Mass.
2015
- SMASH: The Survey of the MAgellanic Stellar History
2014
- Local Group and Star Cluster Dynamics from HSTPROMO: The Hubble Space Telescope Proper Motion Collaboration
2014
- Star Formation in Dwarf-Dwarf Mergers: Fueling Hierarchical Assembly
2014
- The Orbits of the Magellanic Clouds
2014
- Third-epoch Magellanic Cloud Proper Motions. I. Hubble Space Telescope/WFC3 Data and Orbit Implications
2013
- The Space Motion of Leo I: The Mass of the Milky Way's Dark Matter Halo
2013
- The origin of the microlensing events observed towards the LMC and the stellar counterpart of the Magellanic stream
2013
- The Space Motion of Leo I: Hubble Space Telescope Proper Motion and Implied Orbit
2013
- The role of dwarf galaxy interactions in shaping the Magellanic System and implications for Magellanic Irregulars
2012
- The M31 Velocity Vector. III. Future Milky Way M31-M33 Orbital Evolution, Merging, and Fate of the Sun
2012
- The M31 Velocity Vector. II. Radial Orbit toward the Milky Way and Implied Local Group Mass
2012
- Dynamics of the Magellanic Clouds in a Lambda cold dark matter universe
2011
- Spiral-Induced Star Formation in the Outer Disks of Galaxies
2010
- Simulations of the Magellanic Stream in a First Infall Scenario
2010
- Resonant stripping as the origin of dwarf spheroidal galaxies
2009
- Revisiting the Role of M31 in the Dynamical History of the Magellanic Clouds
2009
- On the Origin of Dynamically Cold Rings around the Milky Way
2008
- The Radical Consequences of Realistic Satellite Orbits for the Heating and Implied Merger Histories of Galactic Disks
2008
- Are the Magellanic Clouds on Their First Passage about the Milky Way?
2007
- Formation of Narrow Dust Rings in Circumstellar Debris Disks
2007
- Multiperiodicity in Five Small-Amplitude Pulsating Red Giants
2003