Quantum modified inertia: an application to galaxy rotation curves

Abstract

This work explores modified inertia in the context of galactic dynamics by investigating the consequences of introducing bounds on acceleration. Building on earlier ideas related to maximal acceleration and quantum speed limits, an effective framework is developed in which both upper and lower acceleration bounds are incorporated into the formalism of special relativity, motivated by a conjectured correspondence between the proper time of an accelerated object and the quantum speed limit. A characteristic minimal acceleration of order $1.8\times 10^{-11}$ m s${}^{-2}$ naturally emerges from the analysis. The resulting modified inertia model is applied to galaxy rotation curves, taking into account the baryonic contributions from stellar disks, gas, and bulges. An analytic expression for the radial acceleration relation is derived within this framework. The resulting radial acceleration relation is consistent with the Cassini quadrupole constraint in the Solar System, and remains compatible with recent observational results on dwarf spheroidals and ultra-wide binaries. When confronted with observations, the model provides a good description of the Milky Way and the dwarf galaxy DDO 52 rotation curves. It also successfully recovers the Tully-Fisher relation linking the baryonic mass and the terminal velocity, with $\log (M)=4\log (v)+2.62$. Within the proposed model, the presence of a lower acceleration bound significantly reduces the amount of dark matter required to account for galaxy rotation curves. Possible implications for the redshift evolution of this minimal acceleration are briefly discussed.

Accepted in European Journal of Physics C - 5 figures