TL;DR
This paper investigates how primordial black holes as dark matter could bombard the Oort cloud, potentially explaining the observed comet influx, and suggests this could provide clues about dark matter's nature.
Contribution
It presents simulations showing that dark matter PBHs can dislodge comets from the Oort cloud at rates matching observations, offering a new method to probe dark matter properties.
Findings
Dark matter PBHs can dislodge comets at observable rates.
Oort cloud bombardment by PBHs could explain comet influx.
Results suggest a high PBH fraction aligns with observed comet activity.
Abstract
The realization that primordial black holes (PBHs) might be some fraction of the dark matter begged the question, how often do PBHs enter the solar system? For a Neptune radius solar system the answer is, rarely. For an Oort cloud sized system the answer is different. Simulations of bombardment of the Oort cloud by dark matter suggest that dislodgement of protocomets and their entry into the inner solar system can match the observed frequency of comets, if that PBH fraction is high enough. Comets were traditionally considered as messengers, usually omens. After 50 years of puzzlement regarding dark matter, we need a hint from the dark universe about the size and nature of dark matter particles.
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