Prospects for Detecting the First Black Holes with the Next Generation of Telescopes

TL;DR

This paper evaluates the potential for upcoming telescopes to detect the first black holes in the universe, focusing on indirect signatures in cosmic backgrounds and direct emissions from more massive black holes formed through alternative channels.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive assessment of future observational prospects for detecting primordial black holes using next-generation telescopes and instruments.

Findings

Potential to detect first black holes via cosmic background imprints

Feasibility of observing more massive black holes formed through non-stellar channels

Identification of key instruments like SKA, JWST, and E-ELTs for black hole detection

Abstract

This chapter describes the prospects for detecting the first black holes in our Universe, with a specific focus on instruments/telescopes that will come online within the next decade, including e.g. the SKA, WFIRST, EUCLID, JWST, and large ground-based facilities such as E-ELTs, GMT and TMT. This chapter focusses on: (1) the indirect detectability of the first generations of stellar mass black holes through their imprint on various Cosmic Background Radiation fields including the 21-cm and X-ray backgrounds; (2) direct detectability of line and continuum emission by more massive black holes (M_BH ~ 1e4-1e6 M_sun) that formed via channels other than `ordinary' stellar evolution.