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Illuminating Black Hole Shadows with Dark Matter Annihilation

Yifan Chen1,*, Ran Ding2,†, Yuxin Liu3,4,5, Yosuke Mizuno6,7,8,‡, Jing Shu9,10,§, Haiyue Yu9, and Yanjie Zeng11,12

  • *Contact author: yifan.chen@nanograv.org
  • †Contact author: dingran@mail.nankai.edu.cn
  • ‡Contact author: mizuno@sjtu.edu.cn
  • §Contact author: jshu@pku.edu.cn
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Phys. Rev. Lett. 135, 121001 – Published 16 September, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/yxqg-363n

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.

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Phys. Rev. Lett. 135, 121001– Published 16 September, 2025
  • Received 8 October 2024
  • Revised 26 May 2025
  • Accepted 29 July 2025
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