BIG-SPARC: The new SPARC database

Journal article, 2026

The Surface Photometry and Accurate Rotation Curves (SPARC) database has provided the community with mass models for 175 nearby galaxies, allowing different research teams to test different dark matter models, galaxy evolution models, and modified gravity theories. Extensive tests, however, are hampered by the somewhat heterogeneous nature of the Hi rotation curves and the limited sample size of SPARC. To overcome these limitations, we are working on BIG-SPARC, a new database that consists of about 4000 galaxies with Hi datacubes from public telescope archives (APERTIF, ASKAP, ATCA, GMRT, MeerKAT, VLA, and WSRT) and near infrared photometry from WISE. For these galaxies, we will provide homogeneously derived Hi rotation curves, surface brightness profiles, and mass models. BIG-SPARC is expected to increase the size of its predecessor by a factor of more than 20. This is a necessary step to prepare for the additional order of magnitude increase in sample size expected from ongoing and future Hi surveys with the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) and its pathfinders.