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First test of Verlinde's theory of Emergent Gravity using weak gravitational lensing measurements

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posted on 2023-06-09, 04:30 authored by Margot M Brouwer, Manus R Visser, Jonathan LovedayJonathan Loveday, Andrej Dvornik, Henk Hoekstra, Konrad Kuijken, Edwin A Valentijn, Maciej Bilicki, Chris Blake, Sarah Brough, Hugo Buddelmeijer, Thomas Erben, Catherine Heymans, Hendrik Hildebrandt, Benne W Holwerda, Andrew M Hopkins, Dominik Klaes, Jochen Liske, John McFarland, Reiko Nakajima, Cristóbal Sifón, Edward N Taylor
Verlinde (2016) proposed that the observed excess gravity in galaxies and clusters is the consequence of Emergent Gravity (EG). In this theory the standard gravitational laws are modified on galactic and larger scales due to the displacement of dark energy by baryonic matter. EG gives an estimate of the excess gravity (described as an apparent dark matter density) in terms of the baryonic mass distribution and the Hubble parameter. In this work we present the first test of EG using weak gravitational lensing, within the regime of validity of the current model. Although there is no direct description of lensing and cosmology in EG yet, we can make a reasonable estimate of the expected lensing signal of low redshift galaxies by assuming a background LambdaCDM cosmology. We measure the (apparent) average surface mass density profiles of 33,613 isolated central galaxies, and compare them to those predicted by EG based on the galaxies' baryonic masses. To this end we employ the ~180 square degrees overlap of the Kilo-Degree Survey (KiDS) with the spectroscopic Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA) survey. We find that the prediction from EG, despite requiring no free parameters, is in good agreement with the observed galaxy-galaxy lensing profiles in four different stellar mass bins. Although this performance is remarkable, this study is only a first step. Further advancements on both the theoretical framework and observational tests of EG are needed before it can be considered a fully developed and solidly tested theory.

Funding

Astronomy Centre Rolling Grant; G0679; STFC-SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FACILITIES COUNCIL; ST/F002858/1

History

Publication status

  • Published

File Version

  • Accepted version

Journal

Monthly Notices Of The Royal Astronomical Society

ISSN

0035-8711

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Issue

3

Volume

466

Page range

2547-2559

Department affiliated with

  • Physics and Astronomy Publications

Research groups affiliated with

  • Astronomy Centre Publications

Full text available

  • Yes

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2016-12-22

First Open Access (FOA) Date

2016-12-22

First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date

2016-12-22

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