Work

Detailed calculation of primordial black hole formation during first-order cosmological phase transitions

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Primordial black holes could potentially form during a first-order cosmological phase transition due to a buildup of particles which are predominantly reflected from the advancing bubble walls. After discussing the general mechanism, we examine the criteria that need to be satisfied for a black hole to form. We then set out the Boltzmann equation that describes the evolution of the relevant phase space distribution function, carefully describing our treatment of the Liouville operator and the collision term. Assuming a spherical false-vacuum pocket of sufficient size and a constant wall velocity, we find that black holes can form in a range of different scenarios.

Source: Physical review. D/Physical review. D.

DOI: 10.1103/physrevd.111.063544

Authors: Michael J. Baker, Moritz Breitbach, Joachim Kopp, Lukas Mittnacht

Institutions: The University of Melbourne, ARC Centre of Excellence for Dark Matter Particle Physics, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz Institute for Theoretical Physics, European Organization for Nuclear Research

Language: English

Topic: Cosmology and Gravitation Theories

Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid