Phys. Rev. Lett. 126, 051101 (2021) - GW190521 Mass Gap Event and the Primordial Black Hole Scenario

GW190521 Mass Gap Event and the Primordial Black Hole Scenario

V. De Luca, V. Desjacques, G. Franciolini, P. Pani, and A. Riotto

Phys. Rev. Lett. 126, 051101 – Published 2 February 2021

Abstract

The LIGO/Virgo Collaboration has recently observed GW190521, the first binary black hole merger with at least the primary component mass in the mass gap predicted by the pair-instability supernova theory. This observation disfavors the standard stellar-origin formation scenario for the heavier black hole, motivating alternative hypotheses. We show that GW190521 cannot be explained within the primordial black hole (PBH) scenario if PBHs do not accrete during their cosmological evolution, since this would require an abundance which is already in tension with current constraints. On the other hand, GW190521 may have a primordial origin if PBHs accrete efficiently before the reionization epoch.

Received 9 September 2020
Accepted 12 January 2021

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.126.051101

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Classical black holes Gravitational waves

Gravitation, Cosmology & Astrophysics

Authors & Affiliations

V. De Luca ¹, V. Desjacques², G. Franciolini ¹, P. Pani^3,4, and A. Riotto¹

¹Département de Physique Théorique and Centre for Astroparticle Physics (CAP), Université de Genève, 24 quai E. Ansermet, CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland
²Physics department and Asher Space Science Institute, Technion, Haifa 3200003, Israel
³Dipartimento di Fisica, Sapienza Universit di Roma, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Roma, Italy
⁴INFN, Sezione di Roma, Piazzale Aldo Moro 2, 00185 Roma, Italy