Searching for a subpopulation of primordial black holes in LIGO/Virgo gravitational-wave data
read the original abstract
With several dozen binary black hole events detected by LIGO/Virgo to date and many more expected in the next few years, gravitational-wave astronomy is shifting from individual-event analyses to population studies. Using the GWTC-2 catalog, we perform a hierarchical Bayesian analysis that for the first time combines several state-of-the-art astrophysical formation models with a population of primordial black holes (PBHs) and constrains the fraction of a putative subpopulation of PBHs in the data. We find that this fraction depends significantly on the set of assumed astrophysical models. While a primordial population is statistically favored against certain competitive astrophysical channels, such as globular clusters and nuclear stellar clusters, a dominant contribution from the stable-mass-transfer isolated formation channel drastically reduces the need for PBHs, except for explaining the rate of mass-gap events like GW190521. The tantalizing possibility that black holes formed after inflation are contributing to LIGO/Virgo observations could only be verified by further reducing uncertainties in astrophysical and primordial formation models, and it may ultimately be confirmed by third-generation interferometers.
This paper has not been read by Pith yet.
Forward citations
Cited by 11 Pith papers
-
Comparing astrophysical models to gravitational-wave data in the observable space
Demonstrates direct comparison of observable compact-binary populations from GW data to astrophysical models, with unbiased inference shown possible and applied to O3 data.
-
Primordial Black Hole from Tensor-induced Density Fluctuation: First-order Phase Transitions and Domain Walls
Tensor perturbations from first-order phase transitions and domain wall annihilation induce curvature fluctuations at second order that form primordial black holes, allowing asteroid-mass PBHs to comprise all dark mat...
-
$\tt BlackHawk$ $\tt v3.0$: Hawking Radiation from Regular Black Holes
BlackHawk v3.0 adds Hawking temperatures and greybody factors for multiple regular black hole metrics to an existing public code via numerical routines.
-
Constraints on primordial black holes from the first part of LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA fourth observing run
LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA O4a data yields the strongest constraints on primordial black hole abundance for 0.6-100 solar masses, with resolvable mergers dominating the limits and no compelling evidence for a PBH contribution i...
-
Inflation driven by repulsive-like primordial black holes
Repulsive-like primordial black holes in the Swiss-cheese framework produce quasi-de Sitter expansion, enabling inflation with evaporation reheating and acting as early dark energy for certain masses and densities.
-
Numerical simulations of density perturbation and gravitational wave production from cosmological first-order phase transition
3D simulations of cosmological first-order phase transitions find density perturbation spectra with k^3 and k^{-1.5} slopes and GW spectra with k^3 and k^{-2}, confirming slow transitions can produce PBHs.
-
Synergy between CSST and future gravitational-wave detectors: Probing primordial black holes by cross-correlating dark sirens with galaxies
Cross-correlating CSST galaxies with mock GW catalogs from ET2CE and BDET2CE networks can detect PBH merger fractions above ~40% and ~20% respectively via clustering bias differences.
-
Blue-tilted Runnings and the JWST Early Galaxy Tension
A blue-tilted spectrum with running parameters α_s ≈ 0.2 and β_s ≈ 0.2 resolves the JWST early-galaxy abundance tension at 1σ in a joint CMB analysis.
-
Blue-tilted Runnings and the JWST Early Galaxy Tension
Blue-tilted running spectrum with α_s ≈ 0.02 and β_s ≈ 0.02 resolves JWST early galaxy tension at 1σ in joint CMB analysis.
-
Primordial Black Holes: A Review of Formation and Evolution
Review of PBH formation via compaction function and relativistic thresholds in FLRW backgrounds, arguing that memory burden and curvature corrections halt evaporation to leave Planck-scale relics.
-
Science with the Einstein Telescope: a comparison of different designs
The paper evaluates how triangular versus two-L-shaped geometries, arm lengths, and presence of low-frequency instruments affect the science reach of the Einstein Telescope for compact binaries, multi-messenger events...
discussion (0)
Sign in with ORCID, Apple, or X to comment. Anyone can read and Pith papers without signing in.