Scattering of wave dark matter by supermassive black holes

Recent simulations of wave dark matter around black hole binaries revealed the formation of a universal density profile that corotates with the binary. We derive this profile from first principles, interpreting it as the steady state of a scattering process. We find that the scattering becomes particularly efficient when the ratio of the binary separation to the dark matter's de Broglie wavelength assumes certain discrete values, which can be interpreted as bound state resonances. After estimating the amount of dark matter that undergoes this type of scattering off supermassive black hole binaries at galactic centers, we demonstrate that the process can induce an observable modification of the slope of the pulsar timing array spectrum. This opens up a new possibility to gain insights on the nature of dark matter from observations of low-frequency gravitational waves.