Dark Matter in galaxies: Newtonian Gravity vs General Relativity

• Grant number: 24/14031-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: November 01, 2024
• End date: September 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Astronomy - Extragalactic Astrophysics
• Principal Investigator: Javier Fernando Ramos Caro
• Grantee: Eron Vieira Trindade
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Exatas e de Tecnologia (CCET). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Is there a significant difference between the amount of galactic dark matter inferred from Newtonian gravity (NG) and that inferred in the context of general relativity (GR)? This is a discussion that remains current. Previous works suggest that there may be a significant discrepancy between both estimates, which could be important for understanding the nature of dark matter and its effects. This scientific initiation project, which seeks to contribute to this discussion, aims to use GR to describe the rotation curves of axially symmetric galaxies, comparing the amount of dark matter required with that estimated by NG. The goal is to obtain exact relativistic solutions from Newtonian potentials of astrophysical interest and compare their predictions with observational data from a sample of spiral galaxies.