Published online by Cambridge University Press: 04 August 2017
This paper reviews the observational evidence for dark matter (DM) in dwarf spiral (dS) and dwarf spheroidal (dE) galaxies. The most secure detection of DM in dwarf galaxies is given by HI rotation curves. They provide estimates of DM halo parameters, i. e., isothermal core radii rc, central densities ρ0 and one-dimensional velocity dispersions σ. The smallest DM halo measured so far is in DDO 127 (MB = −14.5 for H0 = 75 km s−1 Mpc−1, rc ≃ 2.3 kpc, σ ≃ 27 km s−1). If this halo is made of neutrinos of mass mv, then phase-space constraints imply that mv > 110 eV. This is difficult to reconcile with cosmological upper limits giving Ω ≤ 1. Ultimately, dE galaxies will provide the strongest constraints on DM in dwarf galaxies; a detailed look at present results shows that they are not yet conclusive.