Researchers propose decaying dark matter spurred early supermassive black hole formation
Updated
Updated · Space.com · Apr 27
Researchers propose decaying dark matter spurred early supermassive black hole formation
13 articles · Updated · Space.com · Apr 27
Yash Aggarwal and Flip Tanedo of UC Riverside suggest dark matter decay released enough energy to trigger direct collapse black holes before the universe was 1 billion years old.
Their model, published in the Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics, estimates dark matter particle masses between 24 and 27 electronvolts could provide the necessary energy for rapid black hole growth.
This theory addresses the puzzle raised by JWST’s discovery of supermassive black holes just 500 million years after the Big Bang, potentially bridging the gap between observations and existing astrophysical models.
Did ancient black holes act as cosmic predators, halting the birth of stars?
Are the first giant black holes relics from a universe before our own?
Which cosmic theory is right: decaying particles, super-fed giants, or universe leftovers?
Could the LHC find the ghost particles that seeded the first black holes?
Is our universe built on the ashes of decaying dark matter?
Does dark matter's decay mean our universe is losing its hidden mass?