Instead of building expensive, next-generation particle supercolliders, physicists are exploring the potential of using black holes as natural and more cost-effective alternatives for dark matter research. According to research published in Physical Review Letters on June 3, 2025, the violent collisions within the accretion disks of black holes, specifically the high-energy jets they produce, could offer energy levels comparable to those projected for future supercolliders.
These black hole jets can accelerate particles to unprecedentedly high energies. Researchers propose using observatories designed to study supernovae, such as the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, to detect these particles. Detecting high-energy particles could provide evidence for dark matter, suggesting that black holes function as novel particle colliders capable of reaching energies unattainable in terrestrial accelerators.
Joseph Silk, a researcher at Johns Hopkins University, noted that while supercolliders aim to generate dark matter particles, no evidence has emerged yet. Black holes might offer a glimpse into the future, providing complementary results in the search for dark matter.