Quantum gravity black holes as dark matter?

TL;DR

This paper proposes that quantum decay of de Sitter space can produce stable Planck-scale black holes in sufficient quantity to account for dark matter, challenging previous assumptions about observational signals in quantum gravity.

Contribution

It demonstrates that quantum decay processes can generate enough stable black hole remnants to explain dark matter, using the instanton formal within the no-boundary proposal.

Findings

Production of approximately 10^60 stable Planck-size black holes within the current Hubble horizon.

Quantum decay of de Sitter space can be significant and observable on galactic scales.

Challenges previous claims that signals of quantum gravity are inaccessible.

Abstract

One of the major problems in quantum gravity research is the lack of signals at the reach of present or near-future experimental facilities. In this paper, we show that this is not the case. Contrary to previous claims, the quantum decay of de Sitter space into black hole spacetimes can be significant even after inflation and can be observed on galactic scales. Using the instanton formalism within the no-boundary proposal for a class of short-scale, quantum-gravity-improved black holes, we show that de Sitter space decay would result in the production of $10^{60}$ stable Planck-size black hole remnants within the current Hubble horizon, which is the number required to explain dark matter.