Two mysterious universal dark matter-baryon relations in galaxies and galaxy clusters

TL;DR

This paper uncovers two universal relations linking dark matter and baryons across galaxies and galaxy clusters, hinting at unknown interactions beyond gravity.

Contribution

It reports two new universal dark matter-baryon relations that hold for both galaxies and galaxy clusters, suggesting potential new physics.

Findings

Total dynamical mass scales with baryonic mass as a power law with exponent ~3/4.

Enclosed dynamical mass is nearly proportional to baryonic mass within the central region.

Relations imply possible unknown interactions between dark matter and baryons.

Abstract

Starting from the 1970s, some relations connecting dark matter and baryons were discovered, such as the Tully-Fisher relation. However, many of the relations found in galaxies are quite different from that found in galaxy clusters. Here, we report two new mysterious universal relations connecting dark matter and baryons in both galaxies and galaxy clusters. The first relation indicates that the total dynamical mass of a galaxy or a galaxy cluster $M_{500}$ has a power-law relation with its total baryonic mass $M_b$ within the `virial region': $M_{500} \propto M_b^a$, with $a \approx 3/4$. The second relation indicates that the enclosed dynamical mass $M_d$ is almost directly proportional to the baryonic mass for galaxies and galaxy clusters within the central baryonic region: $M_d \propto M_b$. The close relations between dark matter and baryons in both galaxies and galaxy clusters suggest that some unknown interaction or interplay except gravity might exist between dark matter and baryons.