English

Deep-MOND polytropes

Astrophysics of Galaxies 2021-03-03 v3 General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology

Abstract

Working within the deep-MOND limit (DML), I describe spherical, self-gravitating systems governed by a polytropic equation of state, P=KργP=\mathcal{K}\rho^\gamma. As self-consistent structures, such systems can serve as heuristic models for DML, astronomical systems, such as dwarf spheroidal galaxies, low-surface-density elliptical galaxies and star clusters, and diffuse galaxy groups. They can also serve as testing ground for various theoretical MOND inferences. In dimensionless form, the equation satisfied by the radial density profile ζ(y)\zeta(y) is (for γ1\gamma\not=1) [0yζyˉ2dyˉ]1/2=yd(ζγ1)/dy[\int_0^y \zeta \bar y^2 d\bar y]^{1/2}=-yd(\zeta^{\gamma-1})/dy. Or, θn(y)=y2[(yθ)2]\theta^n(y)=y^{-2}[(y\theta')^2]', where θ=ζγ1\theta=\zeta^{\gamma-1}, and n(γ1)1n\equiv (\gamma-1)^{-1}. I discuss properties of the solutions, contrasting them with those of their Newtonian analogues -- the Lane-Emden polytropes. Due to the stronger MOND gravity, all DML polytropes have a finite mass, and for n<n<\infty (γ>1\gamma>1) all have a finite radius. (Lane-Emden spheres have a finite mass only for n5n\le 5.) I use the DML polytropes to study DML scaling relations. For example, they satisfy a universal relation (for all K\mathcal{K} and γ\gamma) between the total mass, MM, and the mass-average velocity dispersion σ\sigma: MGa0=(9/4)σ4MGa_0=(9/4)\sigma^4. However, the relation between MM and other measures of the velocity dispersion, such as the central, projected one, σˉ\bar\sigma, does depend on nn (but not K\mathcal{K}), defining a `fundamental surface' in the [M, σˉ, n][M,~\bar\sigma,~n] space. I also describe the generalization to anisotropic polytropes, which also all have a finite radius (for γ>1\gamma>1), and all satisfy the above universal MσM-\sigma relation. This more extended class of models exhibits the central-surface-densities relation: a tight relation between the baryonic and the dynamical central surface densities predicted by MOND.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2012.11412,
  title  = {Deep-MOND polytropes},
  author = {Mordehai Milgrom},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2012.11412},
  year   = {2021}
}

Comments

13 pages, 16 Figures. Minor changes to match published version

R2 v1 2026-06-23T21:08:18.045Z