The extended rotation curve and the dark matter halo of M33

Abstract

We present the 21-cm rotation curve of the nearby galaxy M33 out to a galactocentric distance of 16kpc (13 disc scalelengths). The rotation curve keeps rising out to the last measured point and implies a dark halo mass ≳5 × 1010M⊙. The stellar and gaseous discs provide virtually equal contributions to the galaxy gravitational potential at large galactocentric radii, but no obvious correlation is found between the radial distribution of dark matter and the distribution of stars or gas. Results of the best fit to the mass distribution in M33 picture a dark halo which controls the gravitational potential from 3kpc outward, with a matter density which decreases radially as R-1.3. The density profile is consistent with the theoretical predictions for structure formation in hierarchical clustering cold dark matter (CDM) models, and favours lower mass concentrations than those expected in the standard cosmogony.