Running-Mass Inflation Model and Primordial Black Holes

TL;DR

This paper investigates whether the running-mass inflation model can produce primordial black holes that could account for dark matter, considering recent cosmological data and higher-order spectral index effects.

Contribution

It extends previous analyses by including the running of the running of the spectral index and the renormalization group effects in the inflation model.

Findings

Formation of sufficiently heavy PBHs remains possible.

Additional potential terms do not induce significant negative spectral index running.

The model can produce long-lived PBHs consistent with dark matter constraints.

Abstract

We revisit the question whether the running-mass inflation model allows the formation of Primordial Black Holes (PBHs) that are sufficiently long-lived to serve as candidates for Dark Matter. We incorporate recent cosmological data, including the WMAP 7-year results. Moreover, we include "the running of the running" of the spectral index of the power spectrum, as well as the renormalization group "running of the running" of the inflaton mass term. Our analysis indicates that formation of sufficiently heavy, and hence long-lived, PBHs still remains possible in this scenario. As a by-product, we show that the additional term in the inflaton potential still does not allow significant negative running of the spectral index.