Curbing PBHs with PTAs

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Iovino, A. J., Perna, G., Riotto, A., Veermäe, H.
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2024
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author Iovino, A. J.
Perna, G.
Riotto, A.
Veermäe, H.
author_facet Iovino, A. J.
Perna, G.
Riotto, A.
Veermäe, H.
contents Sizeable primordial curvature perturbations needed to seed a population of primordial black holes (PBHs) will be accompanied by a scalar-induced gravitational wave signal that can be detectable by pulsar timing arrays (PTA). We derive conservative bounds on the amplitude of the scalar power spectrum at the PTA frequencies and estimate the implied constraints on the PBH abundance. We show that only a small fraction of dark matter can consist of stellar mass PBHs when the abundance is calculated using threshold statistics. The strength and the shape of the constraint depend on the shape of the power spectrum and the nature of the non-Gaussianities. We find that constraints on the PBH abundance arise in the mass range $0.1-10^3\, M_{\odot}$, with the sub-solar mass range being constrained only for narrow curvature power spectra. These constraints are softened when positive non-Gaussianity is introduced and can be eliminated when $f_{\rm NL} \gtrsim 5$. On the other hand, if the PBH abundance is computed via the theory of peaks, the PTA constraints on PBHs are significantly relaxed, signalling once more the theoretical uncertainties in assessing the PBH abundance. We further discuss how strong positive non-Gaussianites can allow for heavy PBHs to potentially seed supermassive BHs.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2406_20089
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Curbing PBHs with PTAs
Iovino, A. J.
Perna, G.
Riotto, A.
Veermäe, H.
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
Sizeable primordial curvature perturbations needed to seed a population of primordial black holes (PBHs) will be accompanied by a scalar-induced gravitational wave signal that can be detectable by pulsar timing arrays (PTA). We derive conservative bounds on the amplitude of the scalar power spectrum at the PTA frequencies and estimate the implied constraints on the PBH abundance. We show that only a small fraction of dark matter can consist of stellar mass PBHs when the abundance is calculated using threshold statistics. The strength and the shape of the constraint depend on the shape of the power spectrum and the nature of the non-Gaussianities. We find that constraints on the PBH abundance arise in the mass range $0.1-10^3\, M_{\odot}$, with the sub-solar mass range being constrained only for narrow curvature power spectra. These constraints are softened when positive non-Gaussianity is introduced and can be eliminated when $f_{\rm NL} \gtrsim 5$. On the other hand, if the PBH abundance is computed via the theory of peaks, the PTA constraints on PBHs are significantly relaxed, signalling once more the theoretical uncertainties in assessing the PBH abundance. We further discuss how strong positive non-Gaussianites can allow for heavy PBHs to potentially seed supermassive BHs.
title Curbing PBHs with PTAs
topic Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2406.20089