The Impact of Bar-induced Non-Circular Motions on the Measurement of Galactic Rotation Curves

TL;DR

Bar-induced non-circular motions can significantly bias galactic rotation curve measurements, creating characteristic 'dip' features that depend on the bar's orientation, and a simple correction method is proposed to improve accuracy.

Contribution

This paper systematically combines simulations and observations to analyze how bars induce non-circular motions that bias rotation curves and introduces a correction method.

Findings

Non-circular motions cause a 'dip' feature in rotation curves for certain bar orientations.

The 'dip' feature is common in barred galaxies from the PHANGS-ALMA sample.

A simple correction method can mitigate the bias in rotation curve measurements.

Abstract

We study the impact of bar-induced non-circular motions on the derivation of galactic rotation curves (RCs) using hydrodynamic simulations and observational data from the PHANGS-ALMA survey. We confirm that non-circular motions induced by a bar can significantly bias RCs derived from the conventional tilted-ring method, consistent with previous findings. The shape of the derived RC depends on the position angle difference ($\Delta \phi$) between the major axes of the bar and the disk in the face-on plane. For $\left|\Delta \phi\right|\lesssim40^\circ$, non-circular motions produce a bar-induced "dip" feature (rise-drop-rise pattern) in the derived RC, which shows higher velocities near the nuclear ring and lower velocities in the bar region compared to the true RC (${\mathrm{RC_{true}}}$). We demonstrate convincingly that such dip features are very common in the PHANGS-ALMA barred galaxies sample. Hydrodynamical simulations reveal that the "dip" feature is caused by the perpendicular orientation of the gas flows in the nuclear ring and the bar; at low $\left|\Delta \phi\right|$ streamlines in the nuclear ring tend to enhance $V_\mathrm{los}$, while those in the bar tend to suppress $V_\mathrm{los}$. We use a simple {\misaell} model to qualitatively explain the general trend of RCs from the tilted-ring method (${\mathrm{RC_{tilted}}}$) and the discrepancy between ${\mathrm{RC_{tilted}}}$ and ${\mathrm{RC_{true}}}$. Furthermore, we propose a straightforward method to implement a first-order correction to the RC derived from the tilted-ring method. Our study is the first to systematically discuss the bar-induced "dip" feature in the RCs of barred galaxies combining both simulations and observations.