Velocity Curves for Stars in Disk Galaxies: A case for Nearly Newtonian Dynamics

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that nearly Newtonian gravitational fields derived from Einstein's equations can explain flat rotation curves in disk galaxies without invoking dark matter.

Contribution

It shows that the non-linearity of Einstein's equations under slow motion conditions can produce flat velocity curves, challenging the need for dark matter in galaxy dynamics.

Findings

Nearly Newtonian fields produce flat rotation curves.

Dark matter constraints are addressed without additional hypotheses.

Einstein's equations can explain galaxy rotation without dark matter.

Abstract

The dark matter constraint imposed by the recent WMAP experiment on gravitational theories is analyzed. Using the non-linearity of the vacuum Einstein's equations, it is shown that when the slow motion condition is applied to the geodesic equations, the resulting nearly Newtonian gravitational field describes nearly flat velocity curves for rotating stars in the vicinity of thin disk galaxies.