NGC 3741: dark halo profile from the most extended rotation curve

Abstract

We present new HI observations of the nearby dwarf galaxy NGC 3741. This galaxy has an extremely extended HI disk, which allows us to trace the rotation curve out to unprecedented distances in terms of the optical disk: we reach 42 B-band exponential scale lengths or about 7 kpc. The HI disk is strongly warped, but the warp is very symmetric. The distribution and kinematics are accurately derived by building model data cubes, which closely reproduce the observations. In order to account for the observed features in the data cube, radial motions of the order of 5-13 km/s are needed. They are consistent with an inner bar of several hundreds of pc and accretion of material in the outer regions. The observed rotation curve was decomposed into its stellar, gaseous and dark components. The Burkert dark halo (with a central constant density core) provides very good fits. The dark halo density distribution predicted by the LambdaCDM theory fails to fit the data, unless NGC 3741 is a 2.5-sigma exception to the predicted relation between concentration parameter and virial mass and has at the same time a high value of the virial mass (though poorly constrained) of 10$^{11}$ solar masses. Noticeably, MOND seems to be consistent with the observed rotation curve. Scaling up the contribution of the gaseous disk also gives a good fit.