Milky Way Mass Models and MOND

Understand

Using the Tuorla-Heidelberg model for the mass distribution of the Milky Way, I determine the rotation curve predicted by MOND.

• The result is in good agreement with the observed terminal velocities interior to the solar radius and with estimates of the Galaxy's rotation curve exterior thereto.
• There are no fit parameters: given the mass distribution, MOND provides a good match to the rotation curve.
• The Tuorla-Heidelberg model does allow for a variety of exponential scale lengths; MOND prefers short scale lengths in the range 2.0 to 2.5 kpc.