English

Axisymmetric Jeans modelling systematically overestimates the circular speed in the inner Milky Way

Astrophysics of Galaxies 2026-05-12 v1

Abstract

We quantify systematic biases in rotation curves inferred from steady, axisymmetric Jeans modelling when the underlying stellar velocity field is non-axisymmetric. Using a high-resolution NN-body/hydrodynamic simulation of an isolated Milky Way-like disk galaxy, we construct mock stellar-kinematic measurements for two observer azimuths relative to the bar. One observer is placed at a Solar-like viewing angle of 2525^\circ from the bar major axis, and the other at 115115^\circ. For each configuration, we analyse multiple snapshots and compare the Jeans-inferred circular-speed curve, Vc,Jeans(R)V_{\rm c,Jeans}(R), with a reference axisymmetric circular-speed curve, Vc,axi(R)V_{\rm c,axi}(R), defined from the azimuthally averaged (m=0m=0) component of the gravitational field. The Jeans analysis is performed in a wedge-shaped mock observational volume that mimics limited sky coverage. For the 2525^\circ configuration, the mean azimuthal streaming is typically higher than the azimuthally averaged expectation by 10\approx 10--15 kms115~\mathrm{km\,s^{-1}}, which leads to an average overestimate of the axisymmetrically defined circular speed by 4%\approx 4\% (10 kms1\approx 10~\mathrm{km\,s^{-1}}) in the inner disk. Across snapshots, the mean offset corresponds to a 1.5\sim 1.5--2σ2\sigma systematic deviation of Vc,JeansV_{\rm c,Jeans} from Vc,axiV_{\rm c,axi}. For the 115115^\circ configuration, the bias reverses sign and Vc,JeansV_{\rm c,Jeans} tends to underestimate Vc,axiV_{\rm c,axi}. Under the usual spherical approximation, a 4%\approx 4\% bias in VcV_{\rm c} corresponds to an 8%\approx 8\% bias in the enclosed dynamical mass at fixed radius. These results imply that steady, axisymmetric Jeans modelling of Milky Way stellar kinematics can overestimate the axisymmetrically defined circular-speed curve at the percent level unless non-axisymmetric streaming is modelled explicitly or included in the error budget.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2605.09373,
  title  = {Axisymmetric Jeans modelling systematically overestimates the circular speed in the inner Milky Way},
  author = {Tomoki Yamaguchi and Junichi Baba},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2605.09373},
  year   = {2026}
}

Comments

Accepted for publication in PASJ