Comparison of theoretical models of the dark matter distribution in low-surface-brightness galaxies with observations

Abstract

The observed rotation curves of four low-surface-brightness galaxies are compared with the predictions of three models of the dark matter distribution with various degrees of singularity at the center or without it. Contrary to the assertions in the literature, the results of fitting the rotation curves by the least-squares method using a chi-square distribution with optimal parameters (dark matter halo, bulge, and disk) do not yet allow any one of the models to be uniquely preferred. The NFW and Burkert models have the highest significance levels for two of the four galaxies and for the other two, respectively. At the same time, using the NFW model in the latter two cases leads to an estimate of the disk surface density close to the photometric one, which may suggest that these models are more realistic. The surface density estimates for the galactic disks based the criterion of their marginal gravitational stability have also been used. The disks of the galaxies under consideration may be overheated, because the modeling using these estimates gives larger deviations of the model rotation curves from the observed ones than in the case where the surface density is assumed to be a free parameter. Using the disk surface density estimates based on the criterion of marginal gravitational stability does not change the preference in choosing the shape of the dark matter density profile in the galaxies under consideration compared to the case with a “free disk.”