THINGS about MOND
  We present the analysis of 12 high-resolution galactic rotation curves from
The HI Nearby Galaxy Survey (THINGS) in the context of modified Newtonian
dynamics (MOND). These rotation curves were selected to be the most reliable
for mass modelling, and they are the highest quality rotation curves currently
available for a sample of galaxies spanning a wide range of luminosities. We
fit the rotation curves with the "simple" and "standard" interpolating
functions of MOND, and we find that the "simple" function yields better
results. We also redetermine the value of a0, and find a median value very
close to the one determined in previous studies, a0 = (1.22 +- 0.33) x 10^{-8}
cm/s^2. Leaving the distance as a free parameter within the uncertainty of its
best independently determined value leads to excellent quality fits for 75% of
the sample. Among the three exceptions, two are also known to give relatively
poor fits also in Newtonian dynamics plus dark matter. The remaining case (NGC
3198), presents some tension between the observations and the MOND fit, which
might however be explained by the presence of non-circular motions, by a small
distance, or by a value of a0 at the lower end of our best-fit interval, 0.9 x
10^{-8} cm/s^2. The best-fit stellar M/L ratios are generally in remarkable
agreement with the predictions of stellar population synthesis models. We also
show that the narrow range of gravitational accelerations found to be generated
by dark matter in galaxies is consistent with the narrow range of additional
gravity predicted by MOND.
