Recognition: unknown
Could MACHOS be Primordial Black Holes formed during the QCD Epoch?
read the original abstract
Observations by the MACHO collaboration indicate that a significant fraction of the galactic halo dark matter may be in form of compact objects with masses $M\sim 0.5M_{\odot}$. Identification of these objects as red or white dwarfs is problematic due to stringent observational upper limits on such dwarf populations. Primordial black hole (PBH) formation from pre-existing density fluctuations is facilitated during the cosmic QCD transition due to a significant decrease in pressure forces. For generic initial density perturbation spectra this implies that essentially all PBHs may form with masses close to the QCD-horizon scale, $M_h^{QCD}\sim 1M_{\odot}$. It is possible that such QCD PBHs contribute significantly to the closure density today. I discuss the status of theoretical predictions for the properties of QCD PBH dark matter. Observational signatures of and constraints on a cosmic solar mass PBH population are also discussed.
This paper has not been read by Pith yet.
Forward citations
Cited by 3 Pith papers
-
Asteroid-mass Primordial Black Holes as Dark Matter from Supersymmetry
Supersymmetry with heavy particles above ~10^5 GeV enhances asteroid-mass PBH production via transient equation-of-state softening, allowing them to comprise all dark matter unlike in the Standard Model.
-
Primordial Black Holes as Dark Matter: Recent Developments
Primordial black holes in specific mass ranges could account for some or all dark matter while resolving structure-formation and seed problems in standard cosmology.
-
Stellar microlensing surveys as a probe of Primordial Black Holes: status and prospects
Stellar microlensing surveys exclude compact objects between 10^{-11} and 10^4 solar masses from making up all dark matter under standard assumptions.
discussion (0)
Sign in with ORCID, Apple, or X to comment. Anyone can read and Pith papers without signing in.