Research Note

Remarks on the properties of elliptical galaxies in modified Newtonian dynamics

¹ Universidad de Concepción, Departamento de Astronomia, Concepción, Chile
e-mail: tom@astro-udec.cl
² Argelander Institut für Astronomie, Universität Bonn, Bonn, Germany
³ Observatoire Astronomique de Strasbourg, CNRS, Strasbourg, France
⁴ Sterrenkundig Observatorium, Universiteit Gent, Gent, Belgium

Received: 17 January 2011
Accepted: 9 March 2011

Abstract

Context. Two incorrect arguments against MOND in elliptical galaxies could be that the equivalent circular velocity curves tend to become flat at much larger accelerations than in spiral galaxies, and that the Newtonian dark matter halos are more concentrated than in spirals.

Aims. We compare published scaling relations for the dark halos of elliptical galaxies to the scaling relations expected for MONDian phantom halos.

Methods. We represent the baryonic content of galaxies by spherical profiles, and their corresponding MONDian phantom halos by logarithmic halos. We then derive the surface densities, central densities, and phase space densities and compare them with published scaling relations.

Results. We conclude that it is possible to recreate flat circular velocity curves at high acceleration in MOND, and that this happens for baryonic distributions described by Jaffe profiles in the region where the circular velocity curve is flat. Moreover, the scaling relations of the dark halos of ellipticals are remarkably similar to the scaling relations of phantom halos of MOND.