Composition and particle nature of dark matter, and its allowed interactions

Determine the composition of dark matter, ascertain whether dark matter can be described by fundamental elementary particles, and identify which interactions are permitted for dark matter with other fields and matter in the universe.

Background

The paper reviews evidence that dark matter constitutes a substantial fraction of the universe and critically influences galactic dynamics, lensing, and structure formation. Despite this, fundamental properties of dark matter remain unsettled at a particle-physics level.

In articulating the motivation for embedding black holes within realistic dark matter halos (specifically, a King profile), the authors explicitly note that key aspects of dark matter—its composition, particle description, and interaction channels—remain unresolved, underscoring the broader context and importance of constraints from black hole phenomenology.