Satellite Galaxy Planes and Coherence Structuring in PBG

Observed Phenomena

Multiple studies of satellite galaxies, especially those orbiting the Milky Way and Andromeda (M31), reveal unexpected and highly organised structures:

• Planar distribution: Rather than forming an isotropic halo, satellites preferentially arrange themselves in flattened, disc-like planes.
• Coherent motion: Many satellites within these planes share a common sense of orbital motion around the host galaxy.
• Spin alignment trends: Emerging evidence suggests satellite galaxies align their internal spin axes with the host disc plane.

Notable findings include the "Great Plane of Andromeda" (Ibata et al. 2013) and similar flattenings observed around the Milky Way and Centaurus A (Müller et al. 2018).

Standard Cosmological Expectation

Under $\mathrm{\Lambda }$CDM:

• Satellite galaxies are believed to form through chaotic merger histories and accretion from random directions.
• The satellite cloud is expected to be roughly spherical, mildly flattened at most.
• Orbital directions and spins should be randomly distributed.

The presence of highly ordered planar structures requires highly specific merger scenarios, finely tuned filamentary infall, or coincidence — all of which are improbable.

Interpretation under PBG Coherence Principles

In the PBG framework:

• A galaxy emits a coherence field into surrounding space, decreasing in strength with distance but retaining phase structure.
• Satellite galaxies embedded within this field experience modal anchoring forces that bias their motion toward minimising decoherence cost.
• Over time, satellites "sink" toward trajectories and planes that are phase-aligned with the host's coherence structure.

Key physical principle:
In PBG, motion follows the minimisation of anchoring cost, not spacetime curvature. This cost is lowest for objects travelling along coherence planes established by the primary emitter (the host galaxy).

Thus, flattening, orbital coherence, and spin alignment are not accidents but natural evolutionary outcomes.

Mathematical Sketch: Coherence Anchoring Gradient

Let the coherence field of the host galaxy be described by a coherence bias field $B(\overrightarrow{r})$ with phase structure aligned to the galactic disc.

The anchoring cost functional for a satellite at position $\overrightarrow{r}$ is:

where:

• ${\rho }_c(\overrightarrow{r})$ is the local coherence density,
• ${\gamma }_0$ is the decoherence penalty constant.

The satellite's evolution naturally seeks to minimise $\mathcal{C}$. As a result:

This drives satellites toward the coherence maxima — the galactic disc plane — and stabilises them there.

Predicted Features under PBG

• Satellite flattening: Satellites drift into thin planes aligned with host galaxy coherence.
• Co-rotating motion: Satellites gradually align their orbital directions along low-cost coherence flows.
• Spin alignment: Satellites experience weak torque-like modal bias aligning their internal spin to the disc plane.
• Gradual coherence locking: The structuring occurs over billions of years, strengthening as decoherence penalties accumulate.

Comparison Table

Why It Matters

Satellite galaxy planes challenge classical gravitational theories rooted in spacetime curvature alone.
In contrast, PBG naturally explains these structures through coherence anchoring — without invoking unseen matter or fine-tuned formation histories.

Thus, satellite planes serve as a critical observational testbed for coherence-based cosmological models.