Optical Signatures of Sgr A* and M87* with Dark Matter Halos

Abstract

The event horizon telescope (EHT) has opened a new window onto the strong-field regime by imaging the shadows of the supermassive black holes (SMBHs) Sgr A* and M87*. These observations provide a unique laboratory for probing the dark matter (DM) distribution around black holes. In this work we systematically investigate the imprints of two distinct DM halo models, the cold DM (CDM), and the cored scalar field DM (SFDM) profiles on the gravitational lensing signatures of Sgr A* and M87*. We compute the photon spheres, shadows, weak and strong lensing observables, and caustic structures for both models. We then compared the obtained values of the shadow diameters with the EHT data, using $χ^2$ statistics. We found that all the models are within $1.2σ$ of the measured shadow diameters with the small $χ^2$ differences, $Δχ^2 \lesssim 1.2$. The caustic analysis reveals distinct topological regimes, Sgr A* retains both tangential and radial critical curves, while M87* may show only tangential critical curves due to its larger mass. This topological difference provides a clear observational signature for future observations.