Axion Dark Matter and Direct-Collapse Black Holes

by Prof. Flip Tanedo (UC Riverside)

Friday 12 Sept 2025, 12:30 → 13:30 America/Chicago

301-20 (Tate)

There is growing evidence for a larger than expected population of supermassive black holes at high redshifts. These puzzling black holes appear to defy standard formation histories: they are too large at too early a time in the cosmic history. One leading explanation is that these may have formed through the direct collapse of pre-star forming halos. The critical element is a flux of O(10 eV) photons that can suppress molecular hydrogen formation in these systems. We present evidence that decaying dark matter can be a viable source for these photons and may play a role in explaining these high-redshift supermassive black holes.