Exploiting the Discovery of Ultra-faint Dwarf Galaxies in the Southern Hemisphere Sky

The Stromlo Milky Way Satellites survey will analyze the vast quantity of digital imaging data from the SkyMapper telescope to detect numerous previously elusive dwarf galaxies orbiting our Milky Way. These ultra-low luminosity stellar systems, the first to be discovered in the Southern Hemisphere, will be key objects for a number of internationally significant research areas. The proposal will concentrate on the discovery and the physical and chemical follow-up of these galaxies, in both observational and theoretical contexts, and will test their formation and evolution processes. In particular, it will lead to new insights on the role of dark matter and the formation of the chemical elements, on both galactic and cosmological scales.