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D. J. Bomans (Ruhr-Univ. Bochum, Astronomy Institute)
Even a moderate starburst events have global effects on dwarf galaxies in form of gaseous outflows into their halo. This outflow process probably holds the keys to understand the evolution of dwarf galaxies, if significant amounts of newly produced metals are vented out of the galaxy. This process may also have important implications for the enrichment of the intergalactic medium, if dwarf galaxies lose these metals to the intergalactic medium in form of a galactic wind.
Still, it is difficult to decide if an observed outflow constitutes a genuine galactic wind or not. Using optical data from 4m and 8m class telescopes plus HST together with CHANDRA (as well as ROSAT) X-ray data, this paper critically assess the possibilities to decide on the presence of a galactic wind in some prototypical dwarf galaxies. Effects of extended gaseous halos, the dark matter distribution, the outflow pattern of the warm gas, and the nature of the energy source are looked into.