Kerr-like black holes shadow surrounded by dark matter halos: Comparison between various dark matter profiles
Pith reviewed 2026-05-20 09:32 UTC · model grok-4.3
The pith
Rotating black holes in dark matter halos cast slightly larger shadows than pure Kerr black holes, but the change in size and shape stays negligible across profiles.
A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.
Core claim
By immersing static black hole solutions in various dark matter halo profiles and rotating them via the Newman-Janis algorithm, the authors show that the shadow radius of the resulting Kerr-like black holes increases relative to the vacuum Kerr solution, but the effect on shadow size and shape remains negligible for the King, Hernquist, Moore, and other considered profiles, independent of cuspy or cored structure; therefore black hole shadows are unsuitable for distinguishing the nature of dark matter in galactic centers.
What carries the argument
Kerr-like rotating metrics obtained from static dark-matter-immersed solutions via the Newman-Janis algorithm, from which the shadow radius is computed as a function of dark-matter parameters and spin.
If this is right
- The shadow radius increases compared to the pure Kerr black hole in the absence of dark matter.
- The impact on the size and shape of the shadow remains negligible for King, Hernquist, and Moore profiles.
- The negligible effect holds for all other dark matter halo profiles considered in the paper.
- The result is independent of whether the halo is cuspy or cored.
- Black hole shadows are not a suitable tool for distinguishing the nature of dark matter distributions in galactic centers.
Where Pith is reading between the lines
- If the negligible change holds, then Event Horizon Telescope images of Sgr A* or M87* will offer limited power to constrain the specific form of dark matter near the center.
- Other observables such as stellar orbits or accretion disk spectra may be needed to probe differences between dark matter profiles.
- The conclusion applies directly to the family of metrics constructed in this way; different rotation-generation methods could yield different sensitivity.
Load-bearing premise
The static black hole solutions immersed in the chosen dark matter halo profiles can be extended to rotating solutions via the Newman-Janis algorithm without introducing additional instabilities or metric corrections that would alter the shadow calculation.
What would settle it
A precise measurement or numerical computation of the shadow radius and shape for the same black hole spin that shows large, profile-dependent differences between different dark matter halos would falsify the negligible-impact claim.
Figures
read the original abstract
The study of shadows of static and rotating black holes immersed in various dark matter halo profiles has gained significant attention in recent years. In this paper, we consider the static black hole solution immersed in three dark matter halo profiles (King, Hernquist, and Moore) and, by using the Newman-Janis algorithm, obtain the corresponding rotating black hole solutions. The main goal of the paper is to study the influence of the characteristic density, characteristic radius, and the spin parameter on the inner and outer horizons, the ergoregion, and the shadow radius, and to compare the results with Kerr black holes and other dark matter profiles. Our findings indicate that the shadow radius of rotating black holes immersed in dark matter increases compared to that of the Kerr black hole in the absence of dark matter; however, the impact on the size and shape of the shadow is negligible for King, Hernquist, and Moore profiles, and for all other dark matter halo profiles considered, and is independent of whether the halo is cuspy or cored. Therefore, at least for these Kerr-like black holes, the black hole shadow is not a suitable tool for distinguishing the nature of the dark matter distribution in galactic centers.
Editorial analysis
A structured set of objections, weighed in public.
Referee Report
Summary. The paper constructs static black hole solutions immersed in King, Hernquist, and Moore dark matter halo profiles, applies the Newman-Janis algorithm to generate the corresponding rotating Kerr-like metrics, and examines the dependence of horizons, ergoregions, and shadow radii on the halo parameters (characteristic density and radius) and spin. It reports that the shadow radius increases relative to the vacuum Kerr case, yet the change in size and shape remains negligible across the profiles considered and is independent of whether the halo is cuspy or cored, concluding that black hole shadows are not a suitable probe for distinguishing dark matter distributions at galactic centers.
Significance. If the rotating metrics and shadow calculations are valid, the result would indicate that shadow observables are largely insensitive to the detailed radial structure of common dark matter halo profiles, limiting their utility for constraining dark matter properties via high-resolution imaging. This adds to the literature on modified black hole spacetimes but would benefit from explicit quantification of the reported negligible deviations.
major comments (2)
- [Rotating black hole solutions (obtained via Newman-Janis algorithm)] The rotating solutions are obtained by applying the Newman-Janis algorithm to the static metrics with extended dark matter density profiles (King, Hernquist, Moore). Because the Newman-Janis procedure does not in general yield exact solutions of the Einstein equations when non-vacuum matter is present, the resulting metric functions may contain spurious terms that alter the effective potential for null geodesics at the photon sphere. This directly affects the reported shadow radii and the claim that the impact is negligible and profile-independent; explicit verification that the rotated metric satisfies the field equations with a consistent rotating stress-energy tensor is required.
- [Shadow radius analysis and comparisons] The central conclusion that the shadow is insensitive to cuspy versus cored profiles rests on numerical comparisons of shadow radii for the chosen halos. Without tabulated values or plots showing the fractional change in shadow radius (e.g., as a function of characteristic density and radius for fixed spin), it is difficult to assess whether the “negligible” characterization is robust or merely an artifact of the parameter ranges explored.
minor comments (1)
- [Abstract] The abstract states that the impact is negligible “for all other dark matter halo profiles considered”; a brief list or reference to those additional profiles in the main text would improve clarity.
Simulated Author's Rebuttal
We thank the referee for the careful reading and constructive comments on our manuscript. We address each major comment point by point below, indicating the revisions we intend to make.
read point-by-point responses
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Referee: [Rotating black hole solutions (obtained via Newman-Janis algorithm)] The rotating solutions are obtained by applying the Newman-Janis algorithm to the static metrics with extended dark matter density profiles (King, Hernquist, Moore). Because the Newman-Janis procedure does not in general yield exact solutions of the Einstein equations when non-vacuum matter is present, the resulting metric functions may contain spurious terms that alter the effective potential for null geodesics at the photon sphere. This directly affects the reported shadow radii and the claim that the impact is negligible and profile-independent; explicit verification that the rotated metric satisfies the field equations with a consistent rotating stress-energy tensor is required.
Authors: We thank the referee for highlighting this important technical point. The Newman-Janis algorithm is a standard and widely used method in the literature for generating rotating metrics from static seed solutions in the presence of matter distributions, including dark matter halos, as employed in numerous related studies. We acknowledge that the resulting metrics are generally approximate and may not satisfy the Einstein equations exactly with a transformed stress-energy tensor. Our shadow calculations are performed directly on the generated metric functions. In the revised manuscript we will add an explicit discussion of the approximate nature of the Newman-Janis procedure in this context, together with a clear statement of the limitations and the fact that our conclusions are obtained within this commonly adopted framework. revision: partial
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Referee: [Shadow radius analysis and comparisons] The central conclusion that the shadow is insensitive to cuspy versus cored profiles rests on numerical comparisons of shadow radii for the chosen halos. Without tabulated values or plots showing the fractional change in shadow radius (e.g., as a function of characteristic density and radius for fixed spin), it is difficult to assess whether the “negligible” characterization is robust or merely an artifact of the parameter ranges explored.
Authors: We agree that explicit quantification of the deviations would improve the robustness of the presentation. In the revised version we will include additional plots and/or tables that show the fractional change in shadow radius relative to the Kerr case, as a function of the characteristic density and radius parameters, for representative spin values and across the different halo profiles. This will allow readers to directly evaluate the magnitude of the effect and confirm its profile independence. revision: yes
Circularity Check
No circularity: shadow radii computed directly from NJA-derived metric functions
full rationale
The derivation applies the Newman-Janis algorithm to obtain rotating metrics from given static DM-immersed solutions, then evaluates the photon-sphere conditions and shadow radius from the resulting metric coefficients. These steps are independent calculations from the input density profiles and do not reduce the reported shadow increase or negligibility claim to a fitted parameter, self-definition, or self-citation chain. The independence from cuspy/cored profiles follows from explicit comparison across profiles rather than any definitional equivalence.
Axiom & Free-Parameter Ledger
free parameters (1)
- characteristic density and radius of each halo profile
axioms (1)
- domain assumption Static black hole solutions immersed in King, Hernquist, and Moore dark matter halos exist and admit rotating extensions via the Newman-Janis algorithm.
Lean theorems connected to this paper
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IndisputableMonolith/Foundation/RealityFromDistinction.leanreality_from_one_distinction unclear?
unclearRelation between the paper passage and the cited Recognition theorem.
We consider the static black hole solution immersed in three dark matter halo profiles (King, Hernquist, and Moore) and, by using the Newman-Janis algorithm, obtain the corresponding rotating black hole solutions.
What do these tags mean?
- matches
- The paper's claim is directly supported by a theorem in the formal canon.
- supports
- The theorem supports part of the paper's argument, but the paper may add assumptions or extra steps.
- extends
- The paper goes beyond the formal theorem; the theorem is a base layer rather than the whole result.
- uses
- The paper appears to rely on the theorem as machinery.
- contradicts
- The paper's claim conflicts with a theorem or certificate in the canon.
- unclear
- Pith found a possible connection, but the passage is too broad, indirect, or ambiguous to say the theorem truly supports the claim.
Reference graph
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discussion (0)
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