Dynamical models of M87 without a central black hole

The authors have used Schwarzschild's linear programming method to construct self-consistent spherical models of M87 which match the photometry and the velocity dispersion measurements of Young et al. and Sargent et al. Schwarzschild's method yields the most general solutions of the collisionless Boltzmann and Poisson equations which satisfy these constraints. It is found that models with constant mass-to-light ratios and no central black hole or massive invisible halo are consistent with all the observations. Satisfactory models have visual mass-to-light ratios between 8 and 12 Mₛun;/Lₛun; if the distance to M87 is 15 Mpc. Models with no central black hole are unable to produce line-of-sight dispersions which rise above about 370 km s-1 within 1arcsec of the galaxy's center.