Dark matter may allow giant black holes to form in the early universe

Decaying dark matter may solve the mystery of how supermassive black holes formed in the early universe, giving them time to grow into the behemoths that they are now. If dark matter particles exist at the right masses, their decay could cause the black holes to be born big.

There are several ideas for how supermassive black holes form, but one of the simplest is direct collapse, in which a huge cloud of gas in…