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Gamma rays from primordial black holes
Abstract
This paper examines the possibilities of detecting hard gamma rays produced by the quantum-mechanical decay of small black holes created by inhomogeneities in the early universe. Observations of the isotropic gamma-ray background around 100 MeV place an upper limit of 10,000 per cu pc on the average number density of primordial black holes with initial masses around 10 to the 15th power g. The local number density could be greater than this by a factor of up to 1 million if the black holes were clustered in the halos of galaxies. The best prospect for detecting a primordial black hole seems to be to look for the burst of hard gamma rays that would be expected in the final stages of the evaporation of the black hole. Such observations would be a great confirmation of general relativity and quantum theory and would provide information about the early universe and about strong-interaction physics.
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Cited by
THE LARGE AREA TELESCOPE ON THE FERMI GAMMA-RAY SPACE TELESCOPE MISSION
Atwood, W. B., Abdo, A. A., Ackermann, M., Althouse, W., Anderson, B., Axelsson, M., Baldini, L., Ballet, J., Band, D. L., Barbiellini, G., et al. (2009) · The Astrophysical Journal · doi:10.1088/0004-637x/697/2/1071 · Cited by 4,198
Bertone, G., & Hooper, D. (2018) · Reviews of Modern Physics · doi:10.1103/revmodphys.90.045002 · Cited by 1,241
New cosmological constraints on primordial black holes
Carr, B. J., Kohri, K., Sendouda, Y., & Yokoyama, J. (2010) · Physical Review D · doi:10.1103/physrevd.81.104019 · Cited by 1,166
Constraints on primordial black holes
Carr, B., Kohri, K., Sendouda, Y., & Yokoyama, J. (2021) · Reports on Progress in Physics · doi:10.1088/1361-6633/ac1e31 · Cited by 1,156
Formation of supermassive black holes
Volonteri, M. (2010) · The Astronomy and Astrophysics Review · doi:10.1007/s00159-010-0029-x · Cited by 783
Metadata
- Authors
- Page, D. N., & Hawking, S. W.
- Venue
- The Astrophysical Journal
- Publisher
- American Astronomical Society
- Published
- 1976-05
- Volume
- 206
- Pages
- 1
- ISSN
- 0004-637X (ISSN-L)
- 1538-4357
- OpenAlex
- W2086624850
- Cited by
- 355
- References
- 0
- FWCI
- 3.95
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
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- Page, D. N., & Hawking, S. W. (1976). Gamma rays from primordial black holes. The Astrophysical Journal. https://doi.org/10.1086/154350
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