In this podcast episode, Dr. Man Ho Chan presents his intriguing research that provides evidence for the existence of dark matter density spikes around stellar-mass black holes, specifically A0620-00 and XTE J1118+480. His team's work challenges the long-held notion that dark matter forms a density spike around a black hole, which until now lacked solid observational evidence. Their findings, based on the study of abnormally fast orbital decays in these binaries due to the dynamical friction between dark matter and companion stars, point towards the possible existence of dark matter density spikes. This episode underscores the importance of analyzing observational data from nearby black hole X-ray binaries as a promising avenue for further revealing the elusive nature of dark matter.

Dark Matter, Density Spikes, Black Holes, Stellar-Mass Black Holes, Orbital Decays, Dynamical Friction, Companion Stars, Stellar Heating Model, X-ray Binaries, A0620-00, XTE J1118+480.

Indirect Evidence for Dark Matter Density Spikes around Stellar-mass Black Holes DOI 10.3847/2041-8213/acaafa possible indirect evidence that dark matter forms a density spike around a black hole.