Galaxies on the fringe: star formation and dynamics in gas rich dwarfs

Stacy McGaugh, University of Maryland

Abstract
Normally we think of galaxies as gravitationally bound associations of stars. Other baryonic components, like gas and dust, are minority constituents. However, some dwarf galaxies are dominated by atomic gas, in the sense that this component outweighs the stars. These objects provide unique tests of galaxy formation theory, probe an environment where star formation is remarkable inefficient, and may provide the key to calibrating the Baryonic Tully-Fisher relation.