New constraints on primordial black holes abundance from femtolensing of gamma-ray bursts

Abstract

The abundance of primordial black holes is currently significantly constrained in a wide range of masses. The weakest limits are established for the small mass objects where the small intensity of the associated physical phenomenon provides a challenge for current experiments. We used gamma-ray bursts with known redshifts detected by the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) to search for the femtolensing effects caused by compact objects. The lack of femtolensing detection in the GBM data provides new evidence that primordial black holes in the mass range 10 17 -10 20 g do not constitute a major fraction of dark matter.

Primordial black holes as dark matter in supergravity inflation models

“…We leave this problem for future works. [5,11], femtolensing of γ-ray bursts [8], existence of white dwarfs in our local galaxy [10], Kepler microlensing and millilensing [9], EROS/MACHO microlensing [6], and accretion effects on CMB [7]. For both the solid and dashed lines, the total integrated fraction is about unity, therefore these models predicts abundant PBHs as a main component of DM.…”

“…2 as the black thick line. We also show several observational constraints for PBH abundance as red regions [5][6][7][8][9][10][11]. Here we have not used the constraints from existence of neutron stars [12,15] and white dwarfs [48] in globular clusters since they require the high DM-density assumption whose validity seems questionable as mentioned in introduction.…”

“…Since they behave as a matter component, they can be a main component of DM without introducing other elementary particles. However PBHs are still not detected by any observation, and their abundance is constrained [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11], except in a mass window of 10 21-24 g, where PBHs can still account for all dark matter. Some recent attempts to close this window relied on assumptions that are difficult to justify.…”

Neutrino and photon lensing by black holes: radiative lens equations and post-Newtonian contributions

“…With the launch of the FERMI gamma ray space telescope [11], the interest in this kind of component has found new widespread interest. The unprecedented sensitivity of its detector in the measurement of interferometric patterns generated by high energy cosmic rays (femtolensing events), such as Gamma Ray Bursts [10], has allowed to consider new bounds on their abundances [36]. The hypothesis of having PBHs as a dominant component of the dark matter of the universe provides remarkable constrains on their allowed mass values, except for a mass range 10 18 kg < M PBH < 10 23 kg, where it has been argued that they can still account for the majority of it.…”

Neutron-Star Implosions as Heavy-Element Sources

“…Parameter space where PBHs can account for all or partial r-process element production in the Milky Way and the UFDs simultaneously. Constraints from extragalactic γ-rays from BH evaporation [74] (EGγ), femtolensing [75] (FL), white dwarf abundance [76] (WD), Kepler star milli-or microlensing [77] (K), Subaru HSC microlensing [78] (HSC), and MACHO, EROS, and OGLE microlensing [79] (ML) are displayed.…”