Planck Stars: A New Theory on Dark Matter's Origin
A groundbreaking theory in quantum cosmology suggests that remnants of black holes, known as Planck stars, could potentially make up dark matter in the universe. However, current observations have not provided direct evidence for this hypothesis. Now, a team led by Oem Trivedi and Abraham Loeb is delving deeper into this intriguing possibility.
Loop Quantum Cosmology (LQC) predicts the formation of stable, long-lived Planck star remnants (PSRs) from black hole collapse. Some physicists, like Carlo Rovelli and Francesca Vidotto, propose these remnants as dark matter candidates. However, LIGO and Virgo's gravitational wave observations have not yet detected signatures consistent with these objects, suggesting they may not form in sufficient numbers under standard Gaussian initial conditions.
Trivedi, Loeb, and their colleagues are exploring PSRs as potential dark matter constituents. They found that creating enough PSRs to explain dark matter requires a significant amount of primordial curvature power under standard Gaussian statistics. However, non-Gaussian primordial fluctuations remain a viable explanation. Heavy-tailed distributions, such as lognormal or power-law forms, enhance the collapse fraction of matter into PSRs. These remnants behave as cold dark matter, contributing to the growth of large-scale structure. The present-day relic number density of PSRs needed to explain dark matter is approximately 2.3 × 10−25 cm−3.
Non-Gaussian primordial fluctuations resolve the tension between the PSR dark matter hypothesis and the simplest models of the early universe. The existence of PSR dark matter implies a non-Gaussian origin for small-scale fluctuations in the early universe. Current LIGO observations rule out the creation of Planck mass relics through standard, Gaussian initial conditions.
While the idea of Planck star remnants as dark matter is fascinating, it currently lacks direct observational evidence. Further research, particularly into non-Gaussian primordial fluctuations, may shed light on this intriguing possibility and help unravel the mysteries of dark matter and the early universe.
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