A dynamics-free lower bound on the mass of our galaxy
  We use a sample of Milky Way (MW) analogs for which we have stellar and disk
gas mass measurements, published measurements of halo gas masses of the MW and
of similar galaxies, and the well-established value of the cosmological baryon
fraction to place a lower bound on the mass of the Galaxy of $7.7\times10^{11}
M_\odot$ and estimate that the mass is likely to be $\ge 1.2\times10^{12}$
M$_\odot$. Although most dynamical analyses yield measurements consistent with
these results, several recent studies have advocated for a total mass well
below $10^{12} M_\odot$. We reject such low mass estimates because they imply a
Galactic baryon matter fraction significantly above the universal value.
Convergence between dynamical mass estimates and those based on the baryonic
mass is an important milestone in our understanding of galaxies.
