# Shedding light on dark matter: Probing the cusp/core problem with the Milky Way's tidal streams

> **NSF 01002526DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT** · Regents of the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor (MI) · $552,880

## Abstract

Dark matter is invisible, but its presence is detected via its gravitational effect on stars and galaxies. One powerful way to study dark matter is by looking at “tidal streams” that originate from globular clusters. These are long, thin trails of stars that are pulled away from dense clusters of old stars as they orbit the Milky Way. Tidal streams of stars can have a variety of shapes and thicknesses, and they can also have distortions in their shapes, such as “gaps”, “spurs”, or “cocoons”. These distortions contain information about the distribution of dark matter in the original dwarf galaxy where the globular clusters first formed, before the dwarf galaxy merged into the Milky Way. In this project, a team from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, will run a suite of computational simulations to understand how the underlying dark matter distribution affects the observed properties of globular cluster streams. The team will then use data from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) survey to study the properties of Milky Way. As part of this project, the team will also support K-12 education by running a summer camp for high school students, where the students will learn about the forefront of astronomy and work with real astronomical data. 

Intriguingly, the detailed physical and velocity structure of globular cluster streams depends on the central dark matter density profile in the original dwarf galaxy in which the globular cluster was born. The goal of this

## Key facts

- **NSF award ID:** 2510879
- **Awardee organization:** Regents of the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor (MI)
- **SAM.gov UEI:** GNJ7BBP73WE9
- **PI:** Monica Valluri
- **Primary program:** 01002526DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
- **All programs:** THEORETICAL & COMPUTATIONAL ASTROPHYSICS, OBSERVATIONAL ASTRONOMY
- **Estimated total:** $552,880
- **Funds obligated:** $552,880
- **Transaction type:** Standard Grant
- **Period:** 09/01/2025 → 08/31/2028

## Primary source

NSF Award Search: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2510879

## Citation

> US National Science Foundation, Award 2510879, Shedding light on dark matter: Probing the cusp/core problem with the Milky Way's tidal streams. Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-08 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nsf/2510879. Licensed CC0.

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