Illuminating Black Hole Shadow with Dark Matter Annihilation

TL;DR

This paper explores how black hole shadow observations can be used to detect or constrain annihilating dark matter, using EHT data and simulations to set new limits on dark matter properties.

Contribution

It introduces a novel method to use black hole imaging to probe dark matter annihilation, providing new constraints that are robust against astrophysical uncertainties.

Findings

Current EHT data constrains dark matter annihilation contributions.

Future EHT upgrades will improve sensitivity to dark matter signals.

Constraints exclude large regions of dark matter parameter space.

Abstract

The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) has significantly advanced our ability to study black holes, achieving unprecedented spatial resolution and revealing horizon-scale structures. Notably, these observations feature a distinctive dark shadow--primarily arising from faint jet emissions--surrounded by a bright photon ring. Anticipated upgrades of the EHT promise substantial improvements in dynamic range, enabling deeper exploration of low-background regions, particularly the inner shadow defined by the lensed equatorial horizon. Our analysis shows that observations of these regions transform supermassive black holes into powerful probes for annihilating dark matter, which is expected to accumulate densely in their vicinity. By analyzing the black hole image morphology and performing electron-positron propagation calculations in realistic plasma backgrounds derived from general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations, we set stringent constraints on dark matter annihilation, requiring contributions below the astrophysical emission. These constraints, derived from both current EHT observations and projections for future upgraded arrays, exclude a substantial region of previously unexplored parameter space and remain robust against astrophysical uncertainties, including black hole spin and plasma temperature variations.