Pitt/CMU Colloquium: Anne Green (University of Nottingham)

February 14, 2022 - 3:30pm

Primordial Black Holes as a dark matter candidate

Diverse astrophysical and cosmological observations indicate that most of the matter in the Universe is cold, dark and non-baryonic. Traditionally the most popular dark matter candidates have been new elementary particles, such as WIMPs and axions. However Primordial Black Holes (PBHs), black holes formed from over densities in the early Universe, are another possibility. The discovery of gravitational waves from mergers of ~10 Solar mass black hole binaries by LIGO-Virgo has generated a surge in interest in PBH dark matter. I will overview the formation of PBHs, the observational limits on their abundance and the key open questions in the field.

Location and Address

Virtual. Department members, see email for access.
Non-department members, contact paugrad@pitt.edu for access or to be added to the weekly newsletter.