Kinematics of Spiral galaxies as a Portal to the Nature of Dark Matter

TL;DR

This paper explores how the rotation curves of spiral galaxies reveal a strong correlation between luminous and dark matter components, challenging the standard Cold Dark Matter paradigm.

Contribution

It highlights the tight correlation between luminous disk parameters and dark matter halo properties, suggesting a need to reconsider current dark matter models.

Findings

Strong correlation between disk length-scale and dark matter halo core radius

Rotation curves form a family governed by luminous component parameters

Potential paradigm shift in understanding dark matter in galaxies

Abstract

The gravitational field of Spiral galaxies is well traced by their rotation curves. Only recently it has become of extreme interest that the latter form a family ruled by two parameters of the {\it luminous} component: the disk length-scale $R_D$ and the magnitude $M_I$. This evidence is so strong and consequential that it must be taken as the starting point for the investigation on the issue of the dark matter in galaxies. The emerging fact is that structural quantities deeply rooted in the luminous components, like the disk length scales are found to tightly correlate with structural quantities deeply rooted in the dark component, like the DM halo core radii. This unexpected evidence may strongly call for a shift of paradigm with respect to the current Cold collisionless Dark Matter one.