Comment on Cowsik et al.'s "The Dispersion Velocity of Galactic Dark Matter Particles"

Abstract

In a recent Letter (astro-ph/9605001), Cowsik et al. claim that the best fit value of the velocity dispersion of the Galactic dark matter is 600 kms. This result is obtained by a numerical method of solving the coupled self-gravitation equations, assuming Maxwellian velocity distributions. The rotation curve presented in their original paper is not the whole story, as it does not match onto the spherical self-gravitating halo with a Maxwellian velocity distribution -- as it must. This was pointed out in the original version of this Comment. In their Reply (astro-ph/9608035), Cowsik et al. provide a rotation curve that does behave with the correct asymptotics. Unfortunately, it violates mass estimates of the Local Group by over an order of magnitude. It is the pressure required to balance the weight of the overlying layers of this phenomenal mass at large radii that is the physical origin of Cowsik et al's anomalously high dark matter velocity dispersion.