MONDian dark matter (MDM) is a new form of dark matter quantum that naturally
accounts for Milgrom's scaling, usually associated with modified Newtonian
dynamics (MOND), and theoretically behaves like cold dark matter (CDM) at
cluster and cosmic scales. In this paper, we provide the first observational
test of MDM by fitting rotation curves to a sample of 30 local spiral galaxies
(z approximately 0.003). For comparison, we also fit the galactic rotation
curves using MOND, and CDM. We find that all three models fit the data well.
The rotation curves predicted by MDM and MOND are virtually indistinguishable
over the range of observed radii (~1 to 30 kpc). The best-fit MDM and CDM
density profiles are compared. We also compare with MDM the dark matter density
profiles arising from MOND if Milgrom's formula is interpreted as Newtonian
gravity with an extra source term instead of as a modification of inertia. We
find that discrepancies between MDM and MOND will occur near the center of a
typical spiral galaxy. In these regions, instead of continuing to rise sharply,
the MDM mass density turns over and drops as we approach the center of the
galaxy. Our results show that MDM, which restricts the nature of the dark
matter quantum by accounting for Milgrom's scaling, accurately reproduces
observed rotation curves.Comment: Preprint number IPMU13-0147. Accepted for publication in Ap