Axions explain the formation of supermassive black holes at cosmic dawn

Abstract

In a recent paper we pointed out that supermassive black holes, with masses ranging from $10^5$ to $10^{10}{M}_{\odot }$ form naturally at cosmic dawn if the dark matter is QCD axions or axion-like particles with mass $m>10^{-16}\mathrm{eV}/c^2$. No additional assumptions are required. Here we answer in detail the most commonly raised questions regarding our work.

Comments: Contribution to the Proceedings of the COSMIC WISPers meeting (CA21106) in Sofia, Bulgaria, on September 9-12, 2025