Eliminating the LIGO bounds on primordial black hole dark matter. Issue 3 (23rd March 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Bœhm, Céline; Kobakhidze, Archil; A.J. O'Hare, Ciaran; S.C. Picker, Zachary; Sakellariadou, Mairi
• Is Part Of: Journal of cosmology and astroparticle physics. Volume 2021:Issue 3(2021)
• Publication Date: 2021-03-23
• Subjects: dark matter theory -- primordial black holes -- gravitational waves / sources; Cosmology -- Periodicals; Astrophysics -- Periodicals; 523.0105
• DOI: 10.1088/1475-7516/2021/03/078
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1475-7516

Abstract

Abstract: Primordial black holes (PBHs) in the mass range (30–100) M⊙ are interesting candidates for dark matter but are tightly constrained by the LIGO merger rate. In deriving these constraints, PBHs were treated as constant Schwarzschild masses. A careful analysis of cosmological black holes however leads to a time-dependent effective mass. This implies stricter conditions for binary formation, so that the binaries formed merge well before LIGO's observations. The observed binaries are those coalescing within galactic halos, at a rate consistent with LIGO data. This reopens the possibility of LIGO mass PBH dark matter.