Do low surface brightness galaxies have dense disks?

TL;DR

This paper investigates whether low surface brightness galaxies have dense, massive disks by estimating their disk masses using gravitational stability criteria and stellar velocity data, challenging traditional views on their mass and density.

Contribution

It introduces a method to estimate LSB galaxy disk masses and suggests these disks may be more massive and dense than previously thought, aligning with normal spiral galaxies.

Findings

LSB galaxy disks may be more massive than expected from brightness.

Disks could be similar in density to normal spirals.

LSB disks are often dynamically overheated.

Abstract

The disk masses of four low surface brightness galaxies (LSB) were estimated using marginal gravitational stability criterion and the stellar velocity dispersion data which were taken from Pizzella et al., 2008 [1]. The constructed mass models appear to be close to the models of maximal disk. The results show that the disks of LSB galaxies may be significantly more massive than it is usually accepted from their brightnesses. In this case their surface densities and masses appear to be rather typical for normal spirals. Otherwise, unlike the disks of many spiral galaxies, the LSB disks are dynamically overheated.