A Model of Modified Newtonian Gravity Alternative to MOND, Consistent with the Properties of Spiral Galaxies and Compatible with Extragalactic Dark Matter

A new model of the modified Newtonian gravity called Compacted & Collapsing Gravity (CCG) is proposed. Similar to the Milgrom’s MOND, it allows explaining the flattening of rotation curve in spiral galaxies, thus eliminates the need for dark matter at this level. However, in contrast to MOND, it puts a distinct limit on effective gravity;thereby constraints the sizes of single galaxies in connection to their masses, which complies with observations. In the bigger than single galaxies structures such as galaxy clusters, CCG rather complements than replaces interpretations of the observational data based on dark matter. Besides, the new model provides a plausible explanation to the hierarchical structure of the universe.

New Insights into the Action of Gravitons in Spiral Galaxies

New details of the action of gravitons in spiral galaxies are described. The effect of the graviton energy loss is hypothesized to be coupled to the baryon mass in the galaxy. From this relation, it follows that the baryonic Tully-Fisher relation is applicable to not just the final velocity of the galaxy but also to the rotational velocity at each radial position. In addition, a quadratic equation for the baryonic mass distribution is derived from the equation of motion. These results are demonstrated by making fits to galaxy rotation curves using a mass to light ratio model as well as the quadratic model for the mass distribution.

Vertical Scale Parameter Estimates for 48 Non-edge-on Spiral Galaxies

In the first paper of this series, we directly studied the mathematicalforms, symmetry of spiral structure, and the projection of galactic discs on the images, andmeasured the pitch angles of the spiral arms and inclination angles of the galactic discs for 60spiral galaxies. In this second paper, we estimate the vertical scale parameters of 48 non-edge-onspiral galaxies based on the method proposed by Peng et al. and on the results given in Paper I. Aswe know, for edge-on disc galaxies we can obtain the vertical scale parameter from the photometry,once a mathematical form is specified for the vertical light distribution. For non-edge-on galaxies,some other methods have to be used. The statistical result was that the vertical scale parameter iscomparable for edge-on and non-edge-on galaxies, although it is obtained from two very differentmethods.

Disk Thicknesses and Some Parameters of 108 Non-Edge-On Spiral Galaxies

We present disk thicknesses, some other parameters and their statistics of 108 nonedge-on spiral galaxies. The method for determining the disk thickness is based on solving Poisson＇s equation for a disturbance of matter density in three-dimensional spiral galaxies. From the spiral arms found we could obtain the pitch angles, the inclination of the galactic disk, and the position of the innermost point （the forbidden region with radius r0 to the galactic center） of the spiral arm, and finally the thickness.

New estimates of scale heights and spiral structures for non-edge-on spiral galaxies

On the basis of Poisson＇s equation for the logarithmic perturbation of matter density, we provide improved estimates of scale heights and spiral structures for non-edge-on spiral galaxies by subtracting the surface brightness distributions from observed images. As examples, the non-edge-on spiral galaxies PGC 24996, which is face-on, and M31, which is inclined, are studied. The scale height, pitch angle and inclination angle of M31, our nearest neighbor, that are presented in this work, agree well with previous research.

Scale Heights of Non-Edge-on Spiral Galaxies

We present a method of calculating the scale height of non-edge-on spiral galaxies, together with a formula for errors. The method is based on solving Poisson＇s equation for a logarithmic disturbance of matter density in spiral galaxies. We show that the spiral arms can not extend to inside the ＂forbidden radius＂ r0, due to the effect of the finite thickness of the disk. The method is tested by re-calculating the scale heights of 71 northern spiral galaxies previously calculated by Ma, Peng ＆ Gu. Our results differ from theirs by less than 9%. We also present the scale heights of a further 23 non-edge-on spiral galaxies.

Low Surface Brightness Galaxies Selected by Different Model Fitting

We present a study of low surface brightness galaxies(LSBGs) selected by fitting the images for all the galaxies inα.40 SDSS DR7 sample with two kinds of single-component models and two kinds of two-component models(disk+bulge):single exponential,single sersic,exponential+deVaucular(exp+deV),and exponential+sérsic(exp+ser).Under the criteria of the B band disk central surface brightness μ_(0,disk)(B)≥22.5 mag arcsec^(-2) and the axis ratio b/a> 0.3,we selected four none-edge-on LSBG samples from each of the models which contain 1105,1038,207,and 75 galaxies,respectively.There are 756 galaxies in common between LSBGs selected by exponential and sersic models,corresponding to 68.42% of LSBGs selected by the exponential model and 72.83% of LSBGs selected by the sersic model,the rest of the discrepancy is due to the difference in obtaining μ_(0) between the exponential and sersic models.Based on the fitting,in the range of 0.5≤n≤1.5,the relation of μ_(0) from two models can be written as μ_(0,sérsic)-μ_(0,exp)=-1.34(n-1).The LSBGs selected by disk+bulge models(LSBG_(2)comps) are more massive than LSBGs selected by single-component models(LSBG_1comp),and also show a larger disk component.Though the bulges in the majority of our LSBG_(2)comps are not prominent,more than 60% of our LSBG_(2)comps will not be selected if we adopt a single-component model only.We also identified 31 giant low surface brightness galaxies(gLSBGs) from LSBG_(2)comps.They are located at the same region in the color-magnitude diagram as other gLSBGs.After we compared different criteria of gLSBGs selection,we find that for gas-rich LSBGs,M_(*)> 10^(10)M_⊙ is the best to distinguish between gLSBGs and normal LSBGs with bulge.

Theory of Gravitons in Spiral and Dwarf Galaxy Rotation Curves

We hypothesize that gravitons contribute significantly to the process that flattens galaxy rotation curves. Gravitons travelling against a gravitational field experience an energy loss due to gravitational redshift identical to the effect on light. This energy loss requires an increased rotational velocity to stabilize a galaxy. We will show that this approach successfully explains the rotational properties of spiral and dwarf galaxies.

The GBR Hypothesis Revisited

The radical hypothesis concerning the physics of gravitational black-body radiation is placed on a more solid statistical mechanics foundation in this study. As the concepts and formalism in the former presentation are only partially developed and furthermore, suffer from an unfortunate misstep regarding Hawking radiation and the hypothetical gravitational black-body temperature of a parcel or distribution of energy;this paper aims to fill in some of the theoretical gaps in the derivation of the Planck radiation formula for gravity (or non-Euclidean space-time), and there by provide a more complete and transparent quantum theory of thermal gravitational radiation.

A Method of Obtaining the Pitch Angle of Spiral Arms and the Inclination of Galactic Discs

We investigate the mathematical form, the symmetry of spiral structure and the projected images of galactic discs. The measured pitch angles of spiral arms and inclination angles of galactic discs for 60 spiral galaxies are presented. The global spiral structure is emphasized in the study. It is found that, except for small-scale distortions, the spiral arms of those galaxies that were classified as AC 12 in the arm classification system of Elmegreen & Elmegreen, can be represented by the logarithmic spiral form.

Determination of the Thickness of Non-Edge-on Disk Galaxies

We propose a method to determine the thickness of non-edge-on disk galaxies from their observed structure of spiral arms, based on the solution of the truly three-dimensional Poisson's equation for a logarithmic disturbance of density and under the condition where the self-consistency of the density wave theory is no longer valid. From their measured number of arms, pitch angle and location of the innermost point of the spiral arms, we derive and present the thicknesses of 34 spiral galaxies.

Multiwavelength study of nearly face-on low surface brightness disk galaxies

We study the ages of a large sample （1802） of nearly face-on disk low surface brightness galaxies （LSBGs） using the evolutionary population synthesis （EPS） model PEGASE with an exponentially decreasing star formation rate to fit their mul- tiwavelength spectral energy distributions （SEDs） from far-ultraviolet （FUV） to nearinfrared （NIR）. The derived ages of LSBGs are 1-5 Gyr for most of the sample no matter if constant or varying dust extinction is adopted, which are similar to most of the previous studies on smaller samples. This means that these LSBGs formed the majority of their stars quite recently. However, a small part of the sample （~2%-3%） has larger ages of 5-8 Gyr, meaning their major star forming process may have occurred earlier. At the same time, a large sample （5886） of high surface brightness galaxies （HSBGs） are selected and studied using the same method for comparisons. The de- rived ages are 1-5 Gyr for most of the sample （97%） as well. These results probably mean that these LSBGs have not much different star formation histories from their HSBGs counterparts. However, we should notice that the HSBGs are generally about 0.2 Gyr younger, which could mean that the HSBGs may have undergone more recent star forming activities than the LSBGs.

The Inclination, Pitch Angle and Forbidden Radius of Spiral Arms of PGC 35105

We have studied some properties including surface brightness in the u, g, r, i, and z bands of the nearly face-on galaxy PGC 35105. By subtracting a model surface brightness distribution from the observed image we obtain the residual image that shows only the spiral arms freed from the contamination by the bulge. From this we measured the the inclination, pitch angle, and forbidden radius （identified with the innermost point of the arm） for each of the two arms; and that for each of the five observing bands. We found these three parameters are largely independent of the observing band.

Measurements of the equivalent thicknesses of three-dimensional spiral galactic disks

Spiral arms are fitted after the data from the latest spiral galactic images released by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey are processed. Equivalent thicknesses of 42 spiral galactic disks are derived, which increase the foundational data for further research about spiral galaxies.

Color gradients of spiral disks in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

We investigate the radial color gradients of galactic disks using a sample of - 20 000 face-on spiral galaxies selected from the fourth data release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey （SDSS-DR4）. We combine galaxies with similar concentrations, sizes and luminosities to construct composite galaxies, and then measure their color profiles by stacking the azimuthally averaged radial color profiles of all the member galaxies. Except for the smallest galaxies （R50 〈 3 kpc）, almost all galaxies show negative disk color gradients with mean 9 - r gradient Ggr = -0.006 magkpc-1 and r - z gradient Grz = -0.018 mag kpc^-1. The disk color gradients are independent of the morphological types of galaxies and strongly dependent on the disk surface brightness μd, with lower surface brightness galactic disks having steeper color gradients. We quantify the intrinsic correlation between color gradients and surface brightness as Ggr = -0.011μd ＋ 0.233 and Grz - -0.015μd ＋ 0.324. These quantified correlations provide tight observational constraints on the formation and evolution models of spiral galaxies.

HⅠVertical Structure of Nearby Edge-on Galaxies from CHANG-ES

We study the vertical distribution of the highly inclined galaxies from the Continuum Halos in Nearby Galaxies—an EVLA Survey(CHANG-ES).We explore the feasibility of photometrically deriving the HⅠdisk scale heights from the moment-0 images of the relatively edge-on galaxies with inclination>80°,by quantifying the systematic broadening effects and thus deriving correction equations for direct measurements.The corrected HⅠdisk scale heights of the relatively edge-on galaxies from the CHANG-ES sample show trends consistent with the quasiequilibrium model of the vertical structure of gas disks.The procedure provides a convenient way to derive the scale heights and can easily be applied to statistical samples in the future.

〔C II〕Continuum Intensity Ratio in the Far-Infrared Toward the Central Kiloparsec of the Nearby Spiral Galaxy M31

We observed the nearby galaxy M31 in the 〔C II〕158 μm emission line. An extended component was detected over the central 1 5 kpc region with a line-to-continuum ratio of 〔C II〕/〔40-120μm〕6×10 -3 . This ratio is 3 times larger than that of the Galactic counterpart and is comparable to that in the general Galactic Plane. We expect that the difference between the two central regions are due to different gas densities; the self-shielding of CO molecules decreases the C + abundance at the higher density in the Galactic case.

Co-evolution of nuclear rings,bars and the central intensity ratio of their host galaxies

Using a sample of 13 early-type spiral galaxies hosting nuclear rings,we report remarkable correlations between the properties of the nuclear rings and the central intensity ratio(CIR) of their host galaxies.The CIR,a function of intensity of light within the central 1.5 and 3 arcsec region,is found to be a vital parameter in galaxy evolution,as it shares strong correlations with many structural and dynamical properties of early-type galaxies,including mass of the central supermassive black hole(SMBH).We use archival HST images for aperture photometry at the centre of the galaxy image to compute the CIR.We observe that the relative sizes of nuclear rings and ring cluster surface densities strongly correlate with the CIR.These correlations suggest reduced star formation in the centres of galaxies hosting small and dense nuclear rings.This scenario appears to be a consequence of strong bars as advocated by the significant connection observed between the CIR and bar strengths.In addition,we observe that the CIR is closely related with the integrated properties of the stellar population in the nuclear rings,associating the rings hosting older and less massive star clusters with low values of CIR.Thus,the CIR can serve as a crucial parameter in unfolding the coupled evolution of bars and rings as it is intimately connected with both their properties.

The bar and spiral arms in the Milky Way: structure and kinematics

The Milky Way is a spiral galaxy with the Schechter characteristic luminosity L*,thus an important anchor point of the Hubble sequence of all spiral galaxies.Yet the true appearance of the Milky Way has remained elusive for centuries.We review the current best understanding of the structure and kinematics of our home galaxy,and present an updated scientifically accurate visualization of the Milky Way structure with almost all components of the spiral arms,along with the COBE image in the solar perspective.The Milky Way contains a strong bar,four major spiral arms,and an additional arm segment(the Local arm)that may be longer than previously thought.The Galactic boxy bulge that we observe is mostly the peanut-shaped central bar viewed nearly end-on with a bar angle of^25°-30°from the SunGalactic center line.The bar transitions smoothly from a central peanut-shaped structure to an extended thin part that ends around R^5 kpc.The Galactic bulge/bar contains^30%-40%of the total stellar mass in the Galaxy.Dynamical modelling of both the stellar and gas kinematics yields a bar pattern rotation speed of^35-40 km s-1 kpc-1,corresponding to a bar rotation period of^160-180 Myr.From a galaxy formation point of view,our Milky Way is probably a pure-disk galaxy with little room for a significant merger-made,"classical"spheroidal bulge,and we give a number of reasons why this is the case.

Winding sense of galaxies around the local supercluster

We present an analysis of the winding sense（S and Z-shapes） of 1 621 field galaxies that have radial velocity between 3 000 km s-1 and 5 000 km s-1.The preferred alignments of S-and Z-shaped galaxies are studied using chi-square,autocorrelation and Fourier series tests.We classify all the galaxies into 32 subsamples and notice a good agreement between the position angle（PA） distribution of the S-and Zshaped galaxies.The homogeneous distribution of the S-and Z-shaped galaxies is more noticeable for the late-type spirals（Sc,Scd,Sd and Sm） than for the early-types（Sa,Sab,Sb and Sbc） .A significant dominance of S-mode galaxies is apparent in the barred spirals.A random alignment is evident in the PA-distribution of Z-and S-mode spirals.In addition,a homogeneous distribution of the S-and Z-shaped galaxies is found to be invariant under global expansion.The PA-distribution of the total S-mode galaxies is found to be random,whereas a preferred alignment is clear for all the Zmode galaxies.It is found that the galactic planes of Z-mode galaxies tend to lie in the equatorial plane.