> Instead, the research team ran 75 different models with the initial conditions chosen at random. By chance, some of these created distortions similar to the ones seen in the real-world data, typically affecting only one of the four lensed images. So, the researchers conclude that the distortions in the lensed images are consistent with a dark matter halo structured by the quantum interference of axions.
Essentially the best contender aside from WIMPs is, as subject of TFA, axions. And axions have near-random interference and standing waves, which essentially scatters about light bent by gravitational lensing due to uneven gravity in the lensing object.
Essentially, if you randomize the field enough, you can eventually find, after enough trials, something that seems to match reality. And it just so happens axions are the nice random variables we needed to inject.
That's where we're at: Just randomly select some parameters until the data fits, and lo and behold, it fits.