Radial acceleration relation from symmetron fifth forces

TL;DR

This paper proposes that the radial acceleration relation in galaxies can be explained by a symmetron scalar field with fifth forces, eliminating the need for cold dark matter and accounting for galactic stability.

Contribution

It introduces a novel explanation for galactic dynamics using symmetron fifth forces, without relying on dark matter, and demonstrates their role in disk stability.

Findings

Symmetron fifth forces can reproduce the radial acceleration relation.

The symmetron field stores enough energy for galactic disk stability.

The model provides an alternative to dark matter in galaxy dynamics.

Abstract

We show that the radial acceleration relation for rotationally-supported galaxies may be explained, in the absence of cold dark matter, by a non-minimally coupled scalar field, whose fifth forces are partially screened on galactic scales by the symmetron mechanism. In addition, we show that sufficient energy is stored in the symmetron field to explain the dynamic stability of galactic disks.