Theoretical physicists from Italy, Spain and Argentina propose a new mechanism for the creation of supermassive black holes from dark matter.

Galaxy halos could harbor a very dense nucleus of dark matter, which may potentially mimic the effects of a central black hole, or eventually collapse to form one.

The researchers suggest that this then might leave smaller dwarf galaxies with a central dark matter nucleus rather than the expected black hole.

“This model shows how dark matter haloes could harbour dense concentrations at their centers, which may play a crucial role in helping to understand the formation of supermassive black holes,” Dr.

“We hope that further studies will shed more light on supermassive black hole formation in the very earliest days of our Universe, as well as investigating whether the centers of non-active galaxies, including our own Milky Way, may play host to these dense dark matter cores.”.