On the rotation curves for axially symmetric disk solutions of the Vlasov-Poisson system

TL;DR

This paper constructs axially symmetric solutions to the Vlasov-Poisson system that produce rotation curves similar to those observed in real galaxies, questioning the necessity of dark matter.

Contribution

It introduces a new class of solutions with realistic rotation curves, challenging the dark matter paradigm in galaxy dynamics.

Findings

Rotation curves can be approximately flat, decreasing, or increasing.

Comparison with real galaxy data shows satisfactory agreement.

Stars on circular orbits do not exist near the boundary of the steady state.

Abstract

A large class of flat axially symmetric solutions to the Vlasov-Poisson system is constructed with the property that the corresponding rotation curves are approximately flat, slightly decreasing or slightly increasing. The rotation curves are compared with measurements from real galaxies and satisfactory agreement is obtained. These facts raise the question whether the observed rotation curves for disk galaxies may be explained without introducing dark matter. Furthermore, it is shown that for the ansatz we consider stars on circular orbits do not exist in the neighborhood of the boundary of the steady state.