On Equation of State of Dark Matter around Massive Black Holes

TL;DR

This paper investigates the equation of state of dark matter near massive black holes, revealing that dark matter may exhibit negative pressure in relativistic regimes, which impacts models of dark matter behavior in galactic centers.

Contribution

It introduces a numerical analysis of dark matter's equation of state near black holes, highlighting the possibility of negative pressure and comparing simple models with Milky Way observations.

Findings

Dark matter can have negative pressure near black holes.

Numerical solutions of TOV equations support static dark matter profiles.

Simple equations of state are consistent with Milky Way data.

Abstract

The nature of Dark Matter (DM) remains mysterious despite the substantial evidence from astrophysical and cosmological observations. While the majority of DM in our universe is non-relativistic, collisionless and its equation of state (EoS) is approximately pressureless $p\simeq 0$, DM becomes relativistic near the massive black holes in galactic center. Yet its EoS is seldom discussed in the relativistic regime. Here we initially explore the possible equation of state for DM in the vicinity of Schwarzschild black holes. We work in a spherical and quasi-static background spacetime, and describe DM as a perfect fluid in equilibrium. Through numerically solving the TOV equations with physical boundary conditions, we show that DM can have static profiles near black holes and its pressure should be negative in order to support the viable density profiles $\rho$. We illustrate with two simple general equations of state, namely the power law $p \propto \rho^\gamma$ and the radius-dependent $p \propto r\cdot \rho$, and compare them with the observations of the Milky Way. Our findings provide insights into the model-building of DM, which should incorporate the possibility of negative pressure in the relativistic regime around black holes.