Related papers: A Dark-Matter Spike at the Galactic Center?
We investigate the inspiral of a high mass-ratio black hole binary located in the nucleus of a galaxy, where the primary central black hole is surrounded by a dense dark matter spike formed through accretion during the black hole growth…
We analyze the possibility that the HESS gamma-ray source at the Galactic Center could be explained as the secondary flux produced by annihilation of TeV Dark Matter (TeVDM) particles with locally enhanced density, in a region spatially…
We assess models for the assembly of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) at the center of galaxies that trace their hierarchical build-up far up in the dark halo `merger tree'. We assume that the first `seed' black holes (BHs) formed in…
While N-body simulations testify for a cuspy profile of the central region of the dark matter haloes, observations favor a shallow, cored density profile of the central region of, at least, some spiral galaxies and dwarf spheroidals. We…
There are many observational evidences for the existence of massive compact condensations in the range $10^6 -10^{10} M_\odot$ at the core of various galaxies. At present such condensations are commonly interpreted as Black Holes (BHs).…
Here we provide shadow images of a Kerr-like black hole (BH) in cold dark matter (CDM) halo illuminated with a celestial light source and a thin accretion disk. The impact of spin parameter, critical density and the scale radius on the…
In cold dark matter cosmologies, the most massive dark matter halos are predicted to undergo rapid growth at z<1. While there is the expectation that massive galaxies will also rapidly grow via merging, recent observational studies conclude…
We consider a scenario where supermassive black holes form through direct accumulation of gas at the centre of proto-galaxies. In the first stage, the accumulated gas forms a super-massive star whose core collapses when the nuclear fuel is…
We review the most recent evidence for the amazing properties of the density distribution of dark matter around spiral galaxies. Their rotation curves, coadded according to the galaxy luminosity, conform to an universal profile which can be…
The origin of high velocity stars observed in the halo of our Galaxy is still unclear. In this work we test the hypothesis, raised by results of recent high precision $N$-body simulations, of strong acceleration of stars belonging to a…
We present a new model for the formation of black holes in cosmological simulations, motivated by the first star formation. Black holes form from high density peaks of primordial gas, and grow via both gas accretion and mergers. Massive…
We obtain predictions for the properties of cold dark matter annihilation radiation using high resolution hydrodynamic zoom-in cosmological simulations of Milky Way-like galaxies (APOSTLE project) carried out as part of the "Evolution and…
Recent results from combined cosmological probes indicate that the Dark Energy component of the Universe could be dynamical. The simplest explanation envisages the presence of a quintessence field rolling into a potential, where the Dark…
It is widely believed that Sgr A$^*$, located at the center of our Galaxy, is a supermassive black hole. Recent observations of its shadow and long-term monitoring of the S2 star have provided compelling evidence supporting this hypothesis.…
We use H.E.S.S. $\gamma$-ray observations of Sgr A* to derive novel limits on the Dark Matter (DM) annihilation cross-section. We quantify their dependence on uncertainties i) in the DM halo profile, which we vary from peaked to cored, and…
Clumping of elementary dark matter in the Galaxy halo may be inevitable. If so, the nondetection of certain dark matter candidates could simply mean that the local halo density is low. Conversely, indirect detection of annihilation products…
The high rate of black hole (BH) mergers detected by LIGO/Virgo opened questions on their astrophysical origin. One possibility is the dynamical channel, in which binary formation and hardening is catalyzed by dynamical encounters in…
We describe a quasi-equilibrium profile of dark matter particles in the inner parsec of the Galaxy, rho ~ r^-3/2. This "mini-cusp" profile is caused by scattering with the dense stellar cluster around the supermassive black hole in Sgr A*…
We analyze the dynamics of low-mass black hole (BH) seeds in the high-redshift ($z\gtrsim5$) Universe using a suite of $[4.5~\mathrm{Mpc}]^3$ and $[9~\mathrm{Mpc}]^3$ BRAHMA cosmological hydrodynamic simulations. The simulations form seeds…
The ground-breaking detections of gravitational waves from black hole mergers by LIGO have rekindled interest in primordial black holes (PBHs) and the possibility of dark matter being composed of PBHs. It has been suggested that PBHs of…