Title:
Cold halos and extended clusters - the peculiarities of low mass
systems in the outskirts of M31


Abstract:
Recent studies in the Milky Way and M31 of low mass systems such as
Globular Clusters (GCs) and dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSphs) have
revolutionised the way we think about these objects. Traditional
boundaries between the two classes are having to be redrawn, and
assumptions about their structure and evolution are being
reassessed. In this contribution, I will present results from our
ongoing spectroscopic survey of M31, discussing both the faint dSph
population, who seem to reside in colder, less dense dark matter halos
than their Milky Way counterparts, as well as a unique population of
extended GCs whose structural properties see them
trespassing on the classical divide in Mv-rh parameter space between
GCs and dSphs. I will also address the role and importance of these
objects in the process of galactic evolution.