Calculating the Rotation Curves of Galactic Disks

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on calculating the rotation curves of galactic disks by solving Poisson's Equation for baryonic contributions and integrating the density profile of a dark matter halo using the NFW Profile. The user employs numerical Python to model the baryonic rotation speeds with Bessel Functions and combines these with the dark matter halo's acceleration calculated using the formula √(GM/R). The user seeks assistance in identifying errors in their calculations, particularly regarding the parameters used for the density profile and the integration process.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of Poisson's Equation in astrophysics
  • Familiarity with Bessel Functions and their applications
  • Knowledge of the NFW Profile for dark matter density distribution
  • Proficiency in numerical Python for scientific computations
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  • Investigate the integration techniques for density profiles in astrophysics
  • Study the application of Bessel Functions in astrophysical modeling
  • Learn about the implications of different rotation curve models
  • Explore the impact of varying parameters in the NFW Profile on rotation curves
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Astronomers, astrophysicists, and researchers involved in galactic dynamics and rotation curve analysis will benefit from this discussion.

PhotonSSBM
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Ok, so I'll start off by saying this is NOT a homework problem, but it is a problem I'm having with a project I'm working on, and my supervisor has no clue as to why I'm getting the wrong results from a calculation I'm doing.

So as you all reading this likely know, we can model the rotation curves of galaxies solving Poisson's Equation for a disk and differentiating the solution to get the centripetal acceleration of a star at a given radius from that disk. This is how I'm trying to calculate the rotation speeds due to the baryons in the disk. Now, we also know that the disk mass isn't the only contribution to the acceleration of the stars, we have a spherical dark matter halo that contributes to it as well.

Here is how I'm performing these calculations in numerical python.

For the Baryons in the disk, I'm solving Poisson's Equation using an exponential disk model with Bessel Functions. The analytic result of the integration is this

##\frac{v^2}{R} = 4\pi G \Sigma_0R_dy^2[I_0(y)K_0(y)-I_1(y)K_0(y)]##

where I and K are Bessel functions of the first and second kind, Rd and Sigma_0 are scaling parameters, and y is R/2Rd.

For the dark matter halo, it's a sphere, so the math gets much easier, except I believe my analysis here is where the problem is.

When solving for the acceleration due to a spherical mass we get

##\sqrt{\frac{GM}{R}}##

When calculating M, we can integrate over the density distribution of the dark matter.

The density profile I'm choosing to use is the NFW Profile given by:

##\rho(r) = \frac{\rho_{critical}\delta_c}{(\frac{r}{R_c})(1+\frac{r}{R_c})^2}##

I then take the two contributions and add them under quadrature, the plots produced are posted below, where the blue curve is the velocity due to the Baryons, the Green from the DM Halo, and the Red is their combination.
figure_1.png


Can someone who knows a bit about plotting these curves tell me where I'm going wrong.

Note, the parameters for each scale length in this plot are as follows:

##\Sigma_0 = 5*10^7 \frac{Solar Masses}{kpc^2}##
##R_d = 25 kpc##
##\rho_{critical}\delta_c=5*10^7## this could also be where my calculation goes awry but I cannot find any papers with data on this quantity
## R_c=R_d/4##

Edit: Note that these scales are for what papers have found to be the scale quantities of the Milky Way Galaxy.
 
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