Interpretation of Rotation Curves of Spiral Galaxies in Modified Teleparallel Gravity

There is a significant difference between the calculation based on the theory of general relativity and observation of rotation curves of spiral galaxies. To describe this discrepancy, two distinct theories have been proposed so far: existence of dark matter and modification of underlying gravitational theory. In the absence of dark matter, it is assumed that the theory of general relativity on galactic scales needs to be modified. This letter is devoted to explaining this difference in a modified teleparallel gravity. We show that modified teleparallel gravity favors flatness of rotation curves of spiral galaxies much in the same way as observation shows.