Updated Constraints on Primordial Black Hole Evaporation

TL;DR

This paper refines constraints on primordial black hole evaporation using gamma-ray observations, highlighting the importance of recent measurements and future telescope prospects for improving bounds.

Contribution

It provides corrected and updated constraints on primordial black hole abundance from gamma-ray data, including new bounds from recent measurements and future telescope potential.

Findings

INTEGRAL data offers strong current bounds on black hole evaporation.

Future MeV gamma-ray telescopes like GECCO will significantly improve constraints.

Updated limits from diffuse Galactic and isotropic gamma-ray backgrounds are more robust.

Abstract

The Hawking evaporation process, leading to the production of detectable particle species, constrains the abundance of light black holes, presumably of primordial origin. Here, we reconsider and correct constraints from soft gamma-ray observations, including of the gamma-ray line, at 511 keV, produced by electron-positron pair-annihilation, where positrons originate from black hole evaporation. First, we point out that the INTEGRAL detection of the Large Magellanic Cloud provides one of the strongest bounds attainable with present observations; and that future MeV gamma-ray telescopes, such as GECCO, will greatly enhance such constraints. Second, we discuss issues with previous limits from the isotropic flux at 511 keV and we provide updated, robust constraints from recent measurements of the diffuse Galactic soft gamma-ray emission and from the isotropic soft gamma-ray background.