Rotation curves of luminous spiral galaxies

TL;DR

This study analyzes the stellar light distribution and rotation curves of 30 high-luminosity spiral galaxies, finding general agreement with the Universal Rotation Curve but noting some divergences in the outer regions.

Contribution

It provides detailed measurements of rotation curves and stellar disk scale-lengths for high-luminosity spirals, comparing them to the Universal Rotation Curve model.

Findings

Most rotation curves agree with the Universal Rotation Curve

Some rotation curves diverge in the outer regions

High-quality extended H alpha and HI data were used

Abstract

We have investigated the stellar light distribution and the rotation curves of high-luminosity spiral galaxies in the local Universe. The sample contains 30 high-quality extended H alpha and HI rotation curves. The stellar disk scale-length of these objects was measured or taken from the literature. We find that in the outermost parts of the stellar disks of these massive objects, the rotation curves agree with the Universal Rotation Curve (Salucci et al. 2007), however a few rotation curves of the sample show a divergence.