First Clear Signature of an Extended Dark Matter Halo in the Draco Dwarf Spheroidal

We present the first clear evidence for an extended dark matter halo in the Draco dwarf spheroidal galaxy based on a sample of new radial velocities for 159 giant stars out to large projected radii. Using a two-parameter family of halo models spanning a range of density profiles and velocity anisotropies, we are able to rule out (at about the 2.5 ? confidence level) halos in which mass follows light. The data strongly favor models in which the dark matter is significantly more extended than the visible dwarf. However, halos with harmonic cores larger than the light distribution are also excluded. When combined with existing measurements of the proper motion of Draco, our data strongly suggest that Draco has not been tidally truncated within ~1 kpc. We also show that the rising velocity dispersion at large radii represents a serious problem for modified gravity (MOND).

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