Geometrical Evidence for Dark Matter: X-ray Constraints on the Mass of the Elliptical Galaxy NGC 720

Abstract

(shortened for babbage) We describe (1) a new test for dark matter and alternate theories of gravitation based on the relative geometries of the X-ray and optical surface brightness distributions and an assumed form for the potential of the optical light, (2) a technique to measure the shapes of the total gravitating matter and dark matter of an ellipsoidal system which is insensitive to the precise value of the temperature of the gas and to modest temperature gradients, and (3) a method to determine the ratio of dark mass to stellar mass that is dependent on the functional forms for the visible star, gas and dark matter distributions, but independent of the distance to the galaxy or the gas temperature. We apply these techniques to X-ray data from the ROSAT Position Sensitive Proportional Counter (PSPC) of the optically-flattened elliptical galaxy NGC 720. The X-ray isophotes are significantly elongated, $\epsilon = 0.20 - 0.30$ (90% confidence) for semi-major axis $a\sim 100\arcsec$. The major axes of the optical and X-ray isophotes are misaligned by $\sim 30\deg \pm 15\deg$ (90% confidence). We conclude that matter distributed like the optical light cannot produce the observed ellipticities of the X-ray isophotes independent of the gas pressure, the gas temperature, and the value of the stellar mass.