Primordial Black Holes as Dark Matter and the Tachyonic Trap During Inflation

TL;DR

This paper explores how resonant processes during multi-field inflation can produce primordial black holes as dark matter candidates and generate detectable gravitational waves, linking early universe physics with future observational prospects.

Contribution

It introduces a mechanism where resonant inflationary processes lead to primordial black hole formation and associated gravitational wave signals within observational reach.

Findings

Primordial black holes can form from small-scale curvature perturbations during inflation.

Generated gravitational waves are detectable by future space-based interferometers.

Primordial black hole binaries produce merger signals accessible to gravitational wave detectors.

Abstract

We show that resonant processes during multi-field inflation can generate a large curvature perturbation on small scales. This perturbation naturally leads to the formation of primordial black holes that may constitute dark matter, as well as to the production of stochastic induced gravitational waves in the deci-Hz band. Such waves are within reach of future space-based interferometers such as LISA, DECIGO and BBO. In addition, primordial black hole binaries formed at late times produce merger gravitational waves that can be probed by the resonant cavity experiments in addition to DECIGO and BBO.