The Radial Acceleration Relation in Rotationally Supported Galaxies

TL;DR

This paper reveals a tight correlation between observed galaxy rotation accelerations and those predicted by baryonic matter, suggesting a universal relation that holds across diverse galaxy types and even when dark matter dominates.

Contribution

It demonstrates a universal radial acceleration relation in galaxies, linking baryonic and total mass distributions, challenging traditional dark matter models.

Findings

The relation holds across 153 galaxies with diverse properties.

Dark matter contribution is fully determined by baryonic matter.

Observed scatter is minimal and mainly due to measurement uncertainties.

Abstract

We report a correlation between the radial acceleration traced by rotation curves and that predicted by the observed distribution of baryons. The same relation is followed by 2693 points in 153 galaxies with very different morphologies, masses, sizes, and gas fractions. The correlation persists even when dark matter dominates. Consequently, the dark matter contribution is fully specified by that of the baryons. The observed scatter is small and largely dominated by observational uncertainties. This radial acceleration relation is tantamount to a natural law for rotating galaxies.