Primordial black holes and their gravitational-wave signatures

TL;DR

This paper reviews recent advances in primordial black holes, focusing on their formation, evolution, and gravitational wave signatures, and discusses their potential detectability with space-based observatories like LISA.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive analysis of PBH gravitational wave signals, combining latest theoretical models and observational data to distinguish PBHs from stellar black holes.

Findings

Different gravitational wave signatures of PBHs identified

Methods to distinguish PBHs from stellar black holes discussed

Detectability prospects with LISA analyzed

Abstract

In the recent years, primordial black holes (PBHs) have emerged as one of the most interesting and hotly debated topics in cosmology. Among other possibilities, PBHs could explain both some of the signals from binary black hole mergers observed in gravitational wave detectors and an important component of the dark matter in the Universe. Significant progress has been achieved both on the theory side and from the point of view of observations, including new models and more accurate calculations of PBH formation, evolution, clustering, merger rates, as well as new astrophysical and cosmological probes. In this work, we review, analyse and combine the latest developments in order to perform end-to-end calculations of the various gravitational wave signatures of PBHs. Different ways to distinguish PBHs from stellar black holes are emphasized. Finally, we discuss their detectability with LISA, the first planned gravitational-wave observatory in space.