Dark matter does not emit or reflect light, nor does it interact with electromagnetic forces, making it exceptionally difficult to detect. Nevertheless, a research team from The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) has proven that there is a substantial amount of dark matter surrounding black holes. The study results are published in the journal The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
The team selected two nearby black holes (A0620-00 and XTE J1118+480) as research subjects, with both considered as binary systems. That is, each of the black holes has a companion star orbiting it. Based on the orbits of the companion stars, observations indicate that their rates of orbital decay are approximately one millisecond (1ms) per year, which is about 50 times greater than the theoretical estimation of about 0.02ms annually.
To examine whether dark matter exists around black holes, the EdUHK team applied the “dark matter dynamical friction model”—a theory widely held in academia—to the two chosen binary systems, through computer simulations. The team found that the fast orbital decay of the companion stars precisely matches the data observed.
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