Various mechanisms have been suggested for the formation of Primordial Black Holes (PBHs), and this thesis focuses on the standard mechanism based on the critical collapse of cosmological fluctuations. The underlying idea is that during inflation, a period of rapid expansion in the early Universe, large cosmological fluctuations could have been generated. After inflation, when the cosmic horizon reached a size comparable to these fluctuations, if the latter were high enough, they could collapse and form a PBH.
Beyond the fascinating possibility that these compact objects might make up all or part of the Dark Matter (DM) we observe today, their formation and existence is also associated with the generation of gravitational waves (GWs). These waves could contribute to the merger events observed by the LIGO/Virgo/KAGRA Collaboration (LVK) or account for signals detected by pulsar timing array experiments (PTA). In the first part of this thesis, we investigate the PBH scenario, examining the computation of the abundance beyond the Gaussian paradigm. In the second part, we discuss how PBH formation can produce a stochastic GW background and how observations, related to recent experiments such as LVK and PTA collaborations, can help in distinguishing between different PBH production models. Finally, in the last part, we investigate some aspects of the interplay between black holes and fundamental physics in the early Universe, describing some characteristics and challenges of various PBH production models.
Emergent cosmological models, together with the Big Bang and bouncing scenarios, are among the possible descriptions of the early Universe. This work aims at clarifying some general features of the primordial tensor power spectrum in this specific framework. In particular, some naive beliefs are corrected. Using a toy model, we investigate the conditions required to produce a scale invariant spectrum and show to which extent this spectrum can exhibit local features sensitive to the details of the scale factor evolution near the transition time.
Exact numerical primordial primordial power spectra are computed and plotted for the for the best-fit Planck 2018 curved universe parameters. It is found that the spectra have generic cut-offs and oscillations within the observable window for the level of curvature allowed by current CMB measurements and provide a better fit to current data. Derivations for the Mukhanov-Sasaki equation for curved universes are presented and analysed, and theoretical implications for the quantum and classical initial conditions for inflation are discussed within the curved regime.
Primordial black holes might comprise a significant fraction of the dark matter in the Universe and be responsible for the gravitational wave signals from black hole mergers observed by the LIGO/Virgo collaboration. The spatial clustering of primordial black holes might affect their merger rates and have a significant impact on the constraints on their masses and abundances. We provide some analytical treatment of the primordial black hole spatial clustering evolution, compare our results with some of the existing N-body numerical simulations and discuss the implications for the black hole mer…
Probing the primordial universe with gravitational waves detectors
太初引力波（GW）的频谱，特别是它的倾斜度$n_T$，携带着有关太初宇宙的重要信息。结合最近的aLIGO和Planck 2015 + BK 14数据，我们发现电流极限是$n_T=0.016^{+0.614}_{-0.989}$在95% C. L。我们还估计了爱因斯坦望远镜和LISA对约束$n_T$的影响。此外，基于宇宙学扰动的有效场论，我们还尝试用相应的观测数据对产生蓝倾GWs谱（$n_T>0$）的一些早期宇宙模型进行了讨论。
A brief review of the recent astronomical data, indicating that the universe is abundantly populated by heavy black holes (BH), is presented. Conventional astrophysics and cosmology cannot explain such a high population of BHs. A mechanism of the paper of 1963 is described, which at least qualitatively explained the observational data. In particular, the prediction that massive primordial BHs can be cosmological dark matter "particles" is discussed.
We consider a homogeneous and isotropic Universe, described by the minisuperspace Lagrangian with the scale factor as a generalized coordinate. We show that the energy of a closed Universe is zero. We apply the uncertainty principle to this Lagrangian and propose that the quantum uncertainty of the scale factor causes the primordial fluctuations of the matter density. We use the dynamics of the early Universe in the Einstein$-$Cartan theory of gravity with spin and torsion, which eliminates the big-bang singularity and replaces it with a nonsingular bounce. Quantum particle production in highl…
Massive fields in the primordial universe function as standard clocks and imprint clock signals in the density perturbations that directly record the scale factor of the primordial universe as a function of time, a(t). A measurement of such signals would identify the specific scenario of the primordial universe in a model-independent fashion. In this Letter, we introduce a new mechanism through which quantum fluctuations of massive fields function as standard clocks. The clock signals appear as scale-dependent oscillatory signals in the power spectrum of alternative scenarios to inflation.
Primordial Black Holes (PBH) with masses of order $10-30 M_\odot$ have been proposed as a possible explanation of the gravitational waves emission events recently discovered by the LIGO observatory. If true, then PBHs would constitute a sizeable fraction of the dark matter component in the Universe. Using a series of cosmological N-body simulations which include both dark matter and a variable fraction of PBHs ranging from $f_{PBH} = 10^{-4}$ to $f_{PBH} = 1$, we analyse the processes of formation and disruption of gravitationally bound PBH pairs, as well as the merging of both bound and unbou…
We derive in detail the equations of motion for the tensorial modes of primordial metric perturbations in the Coupled-Scalar-Tachyon Bounce Universe. We solve for the gravitational wave equations in the pre-bounce contraction and the post-bounce expansion epochs. To match the solutions of the tensor perturbations, we idealise the bounce process yet retaining the essential physical properties of the bounce universe. We put forward two matching conditions: one ensures the continuity of the gravitational wave functions and the other respects the symmetric nature of the bounce dynamics. The matchi…
We study the induced primordial gravitational waves (GW) coming from the effect of scalar perturbation on the tensor perturbation at the second order of cosmological perturbation theory. We use the evolution of the standard model degrees of freedom with respect to temperature in the early Universe to compute the induced gravitational waves bakcground. Our result shows that the spectrum of the induced GW is affected differently by the standard model degrees of freedom than the GW coming from first order tensor perturbation. This phenomenon is due to the presence of scalar perturbations as a sou…
Primordial black holes which are created at the very early universe can get decayed in the matter dominated era and thus produce photons, hence resulting in dilution of the baryon asymmetry and evolution of the cosmological scale factor. This process is tested and calculated by considering instant decay approximation, the realistic model of universe expansion and also considering the LogNormal spectrum of the primordial blackholes.
The NANOGrav collaboration has recently observed first evidence of a gravitational wave background (GWB) in pulsar timing data. Here we explore the possibility that this GWB is due to new physics, and show that the signal can be well fit also with peaked spectra like the ones expected from phase transitions (PTs) or from the dynamics of axion like particles (ALPs) in the early universe. We find that a good fit to the data is obtained for a very strong PT at temperatures around 1 MeV to 10 MeV. For the ALP explanation the best fit is obtained for a decay constant of $F \approx 5\times 10^{17}$ …
Muon abundance is required for the understanding of several fundamental questions regarding properties of the primordial Universe. In this paper we evaluate the production and decay rates of muons in the cosmic plasma as a function of temperature. This allows us to determine when exactly the muon abundance disappears. When the Universe cools below the temperature $kT_\mathrm{disappear}\approx 4.135$ MeV the muon decay rate overwhelms production rates and muons vanish quasi-instantaneously from the Universe. Interestingly, we show that at $T_\mathrm{disappear}$ the muon number is nearly equal t…
We provide a very general argument showing that the Universe must have kept its quantum memories from an epoch much earlier than $60$ e-foldings before the end of inflation. The point is that a generic system of enhanced memory storage capacity exhibits a phenomenon of memory burden. Due to its universal nature this effect must be applicable to de Sitter since the latter has a maximal memory storage capacity thanks to its Gibbons-Hawking entropy. The primordial information pattern encoded in de Sitter memory initially costs very little energy. However, because of Gibbons-Hawking evaporation, t…
We quantitatively study how the primordial density fluctuations are imprinted on the anisotropy of the phase transition gravitational wave (PTGW). Generated long before recombination and free from Silk damping, the anisotropic PTGW might reveal the density perturbation seeded from inflation or alternatives. We find new behaviors of the PTGW anisotropy power spectrum. The PTGW anisotropy is stronger than the anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background temperature at all scales, and the high-$\ell$ multiples are enhanced about 1 order due to the early integrated Sachs-Wolfe effect. Furthermore…
We explore the prospect of producing primordial black holes around the solar mass region during an early matter domination epoch. The early matter-dominated epoch can arise when a moduli field comes to dominate the energy density of the Universe prior to big bang nucleosynthesis. The absence of radiation pressure during a matter-dominated epoch enhances primordial black hole formation from the gravitational collapse of primordial density fluctuations. In particular, we find that primordial black holes are produced in the $0.1-10~M_{\odot}$ mass range with a favorable choice of parameters in th…
Primordial Black Holes in a Radiation-Dominated Universe
Bowdoin College（鲍登学院）；Queen Mary University of London（伦敦大学玛丽女王学院）；University of Pennsylvania（宾夕法尼亚大学）；Kenyon College（肯扬学院）；Case Western Reserve University（凯斯西储大学）；The Ohio State University（俄亥俄州立大学）
In this work we derive a scenario {in which} the early universe consists of {radiation fluid} and Bose-Einstein condensate. The possibility of gravitational self-interaction due to an attractive Bose-Einstein condensate is analyzed. The classical behavior of the scale factor of the universe is determined by a parameter associated with the Bose-Einstein fluid with bouncing or Big Crunch solutions. After we proceed to compute the finite-norm wave packet solutions to the Wheeler-DeWitt equation. The behavior of the scale factor is studied by applying the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mech…
Ultra-light primordial black holes, with masses $m_\mathrm{PBH}<10^9\mathrm{g}$, evaporate before big-bang nucleosynthesis and can therefore not be directly constrained. They can however be so abundant that they dominate the universe content for a transient period (before reheating the universe via Hawking evaporation). If this happens, they support large cosmological fluctuations at small scales, which in turn induce the production of gravitational waves through second-order effects. Contrary to the primordial black holes, those gravitational waves survive after evaporation, and can therefore…
Several processes in the early universe might lead to the formation of primordial black holes with different masses. These black holes would interact with the cosmic plasma through accretion and emission processes. Such interactions might have affected the dynamics of the universe and generated a considerable amount of entropy. In this paper we investigate the effects of the presence of primordial black holes on the evolution of the early universe. We adopt a two-fluid cosmological model with radiation and a primordial black hole gas. The latter is modelled with different initial mass function…
Assuming that inflation is followed by a phase where the energy density of the Universe is dominated by a component with a general equation of state, we evaluate the spectrum of primordial gravitational waves induced in the post-inflationary Universe. We show that if the energy density of the Universe is dominated by a component $ϕ$ before Big Bang nucleosynthesis, its equation of state could be constrained by gravitational wave experiments depending on the ratio of energy densities of $ϕ$ and radiation, and also the temperature at the end of the $ϕ$ dominated era. Also, we discuss the impact …
Both inflationary and ekpyrotic scenarios can account for the origin of the large scale structure of the universe. It is often said that detecting primordial gravitational waves is the key to distinguish both scenarios. We show that this is not true if the gauge kinetic function is present in the ekpyrotic scenario. In fact, primordial gravitational waves sourced by the gauge field can be produced in an ekpyrotic universe. We also study scalar fluctuations sourced by the gauge field and show that it is negligible compared to primordial gravitational waves. This comes from the fact that the fas…
We consider a cosmological scenario in which the very early Universe experienced a transient epoch of matter domination due to the formation of a large population of primordial black holes (PBHs) with masses $M \lesssim 10^{9}\,\textrm{g}$, that evaporate before Big Bang nucleosynthesis. In this context, Hawking radiation would be a non-thermal mechanism to produce a cosmic background of axion-like particles (ALPs). We assume the minimal scenario in which these ALPs couple only with photons. In the case of ultralight ALPs ($m_a \lesssim 10^{-9}\,\textrm{eV}$) the cosmic magnetic fields might t…
Primordial black-hole formation and heavy r-process element synthesis from the cosmological QCD transition. Two aspects of an inhomogeneous early Universe
TU Dresden（德累斯顿工业大学）；Deutsches Zentrum für Astrophysik (DZA)（德国天体物理中心）；DESY（德国电子同步辐射研究所）；Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR)（德累斯顿-罗斯多夫亥姆霍兹中心）；Center for Advanced Systems Understanding (CASUS)（先进系统理解中心）；University of Wrocław（弗罗茨瓦夫大学）；University of Rostock（罗斯托克大学）
Shocks from Exploding Primordial Black Holes in the Early Universe
Vrije Universiteit Brussel（布鲁塞尔自由大学）；The International Solvay Institutes（国际索尔维研究所）；Universitat de Barcelona（巴塞罗那大学）；Massachusetts Institute of Technology（麻省理工学院）；CERN（欧洲核子研究组织）；Universität Zürich（苏黎世大学）
The understanding of the primordial mechanism that seeded the cosmic structures we observe today in the sky is one of the major goals in cosmology. The leading paradigm for such a mechanism is provided by the inflationary scenario, a period of violent accelerated expansion in the very early stages of evolution of the Universe. While our current knowledge of the physics of inflation is limited to phenomenological models which fit observations, an exquisite understanding of the particle content and interactions taking place during inflation would provide breakthroughs in our understanding of fun…
We study the generation and evolution of second-order energy-density perturbations arising from primordial gravitational waves. Such "tensor-induced scalar modes" approximately evolve as standard linear matter perturbations and may leave observable signatures in the Large-Scale Structure of the Universe. We study the imprint on the matter power-spectrum of some primordial models which predict a large gravitational-wave signal at high frequencies. This novel mechanism in principle allows us to constrain or detect primordial gravitational waves by looking at specific features in the matter or ga…
We numerically integrate the Einstein's equations for a spatially flat Friedmann-Lemaire-Robertson-Walker (FLRW) background spacetime with a spatial curvature perturbation and evolving primordial tensor perturbations using the Einstein Toolkit. We find that although the primordial tensor perturbation doesn't play an important role in the evolution of the overdensity produced by the scalar perturbation, there is an obvious imprint left by the primordial tensor perturbation on the distribution of the fractional density perturbation in the nonlinear region. This imprint may be a possible probe of…
