Dark Matter Could Help Solve the Final Parsec Problem of Black Holes

One outstanding mystery in astrophysics is known as the "final parsec problem." Simulations predict that binary black holes should stall out in the last stages of their merger. Since we're detecting the gravitational waves from these mergers, we know it happens, but how? A new paper proposes that ultralight dark matter near the black holes could help to carry away orbital energy from the black holes, driving them together. The post Dark Matter Could Help Solve the Final Parsec Problem of Black H...