Question: Mass distribution in galaxies

[grouchyone]

What is a typical distribution of mass in a typical spiral galaxy. I understand most is in the centre, but how much? How much in the outer regions? Can anyone point me to graphs or tables?

Much appreciated.

 

[cesiumfrog]

That's a good question. I'm sure there would have been such plots in the earliest papers to mention "dark matter" (or even just "rotation curves", although that is a different graph), and since the data must have improved since then, maybe someone knows a good review article?

 

[Astronuc]

Here are some possibilities to get started.

ACCURATE PARAMETERS OF THE MASS DISTRIBUTION IN SPIRAL GALAXIES. I. FABRY-PEROT OBSERVATIONS OF NGC 5585
http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/AJ/journal/issues/v118n5/980526/980526.html[/URL]
SÉBASTIEN BLAIS-OUELLETTE



Structure and mass distribution of spiral galaxies at intermediate redshifts
[url]http://arxiv.org/PS_cache/astro-ph/pdf/0212/0212521v1.pdf[/url]


Mass distribution of spiral galaxies from characteristics of spiral structure:
Constraints on galaxy formation models
[url]http://arxiv.org/PS_cache/astro-ph/pdf/0508/0508338v1.pdf[/url]


Light and mass distribution of the Magellanic-type spiral NGC 3109
[url]http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1985ApJ...299...59C[/url]


Nature 325, 779 - 782 (26 February 2002); doi:10.1038/325779a0 (have to purchase)
Mass distribution in spiral galaxies
L. K. Erickson, S. T. Gottesman & J. H. Hunter Jr
[url]http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v325/n6107/abs/325779a0.html[/url]

 

[hellfire]

Here you can find a useful thread in PF:
https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?p=881160
Take a special look to post #6, there you will find a discussion about the isothermal sphere profile and others that are used for simulations.

A short summary about current density profiles of galaxies used in simulations (NFW and CDM profiles) is given here:
http://www.astro.uni-bonn.de/~uklein/research/dm.html
You will find there also some usual formulas for the density profile. Note however that the determination of universal density profiles is a topic of current research, as you can read in that page.