GALACTIC DYNAMICS VIA GENERAL RELATIVITY AND THE EXOTIC DARK MATTER ENIGMA

Abstract

General relativity supersedes Newtonian dynamics in the analysis of galactic rotation and eliminates the need for vast halos of exotic dark matter. We present new results to complete the global picture of galactic models which indicate that we can model relatively modest mass accumulations surrounding galaxies with mass concentrations roughly contained within the contours of the extended disk. An observational test of the extent of any external matter distribution is shown to derive from the velocity dispersion of rotation curves in planes parallel to the galactic symmetry plane. We reply to recent critics of our work.