Abstract

Dark matter is one of the most enduring mysteries in nature. Despite its ubiquity, dark matter is not directly detected and its properties are largely inferred from observations of baryons. Galaxies which are composed of baryons form at the center of dark matter halos and the two coevolve. Thus, galaxies are directly observed objects which trace the evolving dark matter distribution in the Universe. A deeper understanding of galaxy evolution and a direct link between galaxies and their enigmatic dark matter halos is critical for unlocking the mystery of dark matter. The central stellar velocity dispersion is an important observable for understanding the dynamical properties of quiescent galaxies and for constraining their evolution. The stellar velocity dispersion is directly proportional to the dark matter halo velocity dispersion and thus is an observable property linking galaxies to their dark matter halos. I will describe how galaxy redshift surveys can be combined with gravititational lensing to explore the mystery of dark matter.