Neighboring Galaxies' Influence on Rotation Curve Asymmetry

TL;DR

This study finds a near-perfect correlation between galaxy rotation curve asymmetry and the gravitational influence of nearby galaxies, challenging existing theories like MOND and dark matter.

Contribution

It demonstrates a strong linear relationship between neighboring galaxies' potential force and rotation curve asymmetry, providing new insights into galaxy dynamics.

Findings

Rotation asymmetry correlates with neighboring galaxies' potential force (r=0.99).

The shape of the rotation curve relates to external gravitational influences.

Results challenge MOND, dark matter, and Linear Potential Model theories.

Abstract

The rotation velocity asymmetry v observed in spiral galaxy HI rotation curves linearly correlates with the effective potential force from the 10 closest neighboring galaxies normalized for the test particle mass and the gravitational constant. The magnitude of the potential force from a close galaxy is proportional to the luminosity of the close galaxy and inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the close galaxy to the target galaxy. The correlation coefficient is 0.99 and F test is 0.99. Also, the slope of the rotation curve in the disk region of a galaxy from rising to flat to declining is qualitatively correlated with increasing asymmetry and, hence, to the net force from other galaxies. The result is based on a sample of nine spiral galaxies with published Cepheid distances and rotation curves and with a wide range of characteristics. These relationships are interesting not only for their predictive power but also because (1) they suggest a galaxy's dynamics and the shape of its rotation curve are related to the potential energy and distance of neighboring galaxies, (2) they suggest a rising rotation curve in the disk region is intrinsic, (3) they suggest the Tully-Fisher relationship's assumption that the mass to intrinsic luminosity ratio is constant among galaxies is valid, and (4) they are inconsistent with MOND, dark matter, and the Linear Potential Model.