Recent Observations of the Rotation of Distant Galaxies and the Implication for Dark Matter

TL;DR

Recent observations suggest high redshift galaxies may have steeply declining rotation curves, challenging the standard dark matter halo model and implying alternative explanations for galaxy rotation profiles.

Contribution

This study uses simulations to show that observed steeply falling rotation curves at high redshift cannot be reproduced with dark matter halos, questioning current galaxy formation theories.

Findings

Simulations with dark matter halos produce flat rotation curves.

Only a model without dark matter reproduces steeply declining curves.

Implication that dark matter may not be necessary for high redshift galaxy rotation profiles.

Abstract

Recent measurements of gas velocity in the outer parts of high redshift galaxies suggest that steeply falling rotation curves may be common, or even universal, in these galaxies, in contrast to the near universal flat, non-declining rotation curves in nearby galaxies. We investigate the implications of these postulated steeply falling rotation curves for the role of dark matter in galaxy formation. Using an established computer code, the collapse of dark matter and baryonic matter together, starting with a variety of initial conditions, is simulated for comparison with the observed rotation curves. As soon as a smooth stellar disc is formed in the baryonic matter, with properties similar to the observed high redshift galaxies, the computed rotation curves are, without exception, relatively flat to large radius in the gas disc. Only a simulation without a dark matter halo is able to reproduce the observed rotation curves. This would imply that, if the high redshift steeply falling rotation curves turn out to be common, then the standard scenario for galaxy formation for these galaxies, namely baryonic matter falling into the potential well of a massive dark matter halo, must be wrong, unless there is pressure support via velocity dispersion significantly higher than has so far been observed. It would also imply that for these galaxies the flat rotation curves at low redshift must be due to dark matter which has subsequently fallen into the galactic potential well, or there must be some other explanation for the contemporary flat rotation curves, other than dark matter.