Satellites as probes of the masses of spiral galaxies

We present atomic hydrogen (HI) observations and analyses of the kinematics of satellite-primary galaxy pairs. Two estimates for the masses of the primaries are available, one from their rotation curves and one from the orbital properties of the satellites. Defining chi as the ratio of these two mass estimates, it is a measure of the presence, or absence, of a significant halo. The chi distribution is presented and the selection effects are discussed. We show that our data, compared with the more numerous pairs identified by Zaritsky et al., have similar distributions for projected separations of less than 200 kpc, even though the selection criteria employed were quite different. Observational biases have a negligible effect; the biased and unbiased distributions are essentially identical. N-body calculations were executed to simulate the dynamical behavior of relatively low mass satellites orbiting primary disk galaxies with and without extended halos. In addition, we made a partially analytical analysis of the behavior of orbits in a logarithmic potential. We find that a "generic" model, characterized by a single disk-halo combination, cannot reproduce the observed P(chi) distribution. However, a simple two-component population of galaxies, composed of not more than 60% with halos and 40% without halos, is successful, if galaxies have dimensions of order 200 kpc. If galaxies are considerably larger with sizes extending to 400 kpc or more, no generic model can describe the full range of the observed P(chi), particularly if the distribution for r(p) < 200 kpc is compared with that for r(p) > 200 kpc. Regardless of the mix of orbital eccentricities, neither pure halo, nor canonical models (disk and halo masses are comparable within the disk radius) will work. A multicomponent approximation can be constructed; the canonical model must be mixed with a small fraction of systems essentially devoid of a massive dark halo. Only by including these complexities can the full range of P(chi) be modeled with any degree of success over all radial extents. We show that dynamical friction cannot be ignored in these explorations and that the average mass of a galaxy is in the range of (1-5) x 10(12) M, with a mass-to-luminosity ratio of at most a few hundred. This is insufficient to close the Universe.