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Title: DETECTABLE SEISMIC CONSEQUENCES OF THE INTERACTION OF A PRIMORDIAL BLACK HOLE WITH EARTH

Abstract

Galaxies observed today are likely to have evolved from density perturbations in the early universe. Perturbations that exceeded some critical threshold are conjectured to have undergone gravitational collapse to form primordial black holes (PBHs) at a range of masses. Such PBHs serve as candidates for cold dark matter, and their detection would shed light on conditions in the early universe. Here, we propose a mechanism to search for transits of PBHs through/nearby Earth by studying the associated seismic waves. Using a spectral-element method, we simulate and visualize this seismic wave field in Earth's interior. We predict the emergence of two unique signatures, namely, a wave that would arrive almost simultaneously everywhere on Earth's free surface and the excitation of unusual spheroidal modes with a characteristic frequency spacing in free oscillation spectra. These qualitative characteristics are unaffected by the speed or proximity of the PBH trajectory. The seismic energy deposited by a proximal M{sup PBH} = 10{sup 15} g PBH is comparable to a magnitude M{sub w} = 4 earthquake. The non-seismic collateral damage due to the actual impact of such small PBHs with Earth would be negligible. Unfortunately, the expected collision rate is very low even if PBHs constituted allmore » of dark matter, at {approx}10{sup -7} yr{sup -1}, and since the rate scales as 1/M{sup PBH}, fortunately encounters with larger, Earth-threatening PBHs are exceedingly unlikely. However, the rate at which non-colliding close encounters of PBHs could be detected by seismic activity alone is roughly two orders of magnitude larger-that is once every hundred thousand years-than the direct collision rate.« less

Authors:
; ;  [1];  [2]
  1. Department of Geosciences, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544 (United States)
  2. Department of Physics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544 (United States)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
22037270
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Astrophysical Journal
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 751; Journal Issue: 1; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Journal ID: ISSN 0004-637X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
79 ASTROPHYSICS, COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY; ASTRONOMY; ASTROPHYSICS; BLACK HOLES; DAMAGE; DETECTION; DISTURBANCES; EARTHQUAKES; ENERGY SPECTRA; EXCITATION; GALAXIES; GRAVITATION; GRAVITATIONAL COLLAPSE; NONLUMINOUS MATTER; SEISMIC WAVES; UNIVERSE; VISIBLE RADIATION

Citation Formats

Yang, Luo, Hanasoge, Shravan, Tromp, Jeroen, and Pretorius, Frans. DETECTABLE SEISMIC CONSEQUENCES OF THE INTERACTION OF A PRIMORDIAL BLACK HOLE WITH EARTH. United States: N. p., 2012. Web. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/751/1/16.
Yang, Luo, Hanasoge, Shravan, Tromp, Jeroen, & Pretorius, Frans. DETECTABLE SEISMIC CONSEQUENCES OF THE INTERACTION OF A PRIMORDIAL BLACK HOLE WITH EARTH. United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/751/1/16
Yang, Luo, Hanasoge, Shravan, Tromp, Jeroen, and Pretorius, Frans. 2012. "DETECTABLE SEISMIC CONSEQUENCES OF THE INTERACTION OF A PRIMORDIAL BLACK HOLE WITH EARTH". United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/751/1/16.
@article{osti_22037270,
title = {DETECTABLE SEISMIC CONSEQUENCES OF THE INTERACTION OF A PRIMORDIAL BLACK HOLE WITH EARTH},
author = {Yang, Luo and Hanasoge, Shravan and Tromp, Jeroen and Pretorius, Frans},
abstractNote = {Galaxies observed today are likely to have evolved from density perturbations in the early universe. Perturbations that exceeded some critical threshold are conjectured to have undergone gravitational collapse to form primordial black holes (PBHs) at a range of masses. Such PBHs serve as candidates for cold dark matter, and their detection would shed light on conditions in the early universe. Here, we propose a mechanism to search for transits of PBHs through/nearby Earth by studying the associated seismic waves. Using a spectral-element method, we simulate and visualize this seismic wave field in Earth's interior. We predict the emergence of two unique signatures, namely, a wave that would arrive almost simultaneously everywhere on Earth's free surface and the excitation of unusual spheroidal modes with a characteristic frequency spacing in free oscillation spectra. These qualitative characteristics are unaffected by the speed or proximity of the PBH trajectory. The seismic energy deposited by a proximal M{sup PBH} = 10{sup 15} g PBH is comparable to a magnitude M{sub w} = 4 earthquake. The non-seismic collateral damage due to the actual impact of such small PBHs with Earth would be negligible. Unfortunately, the expected collision rate is very low even if PBHs constituted all of dark matter, at {approx}10{sup -7} yr{sup -1}, and since the rate scales as 1/M{sup PBH}, fortunately encounters with larger, Earth-threatening PBHs are exceedingly unlikely. However, the rate at which non-colliding close encounters of PBHs could be detected by seismic activity alone is roughly two orders of magnitude larger-that is once every hundred thousand years-than the direct collision rate.},
doi = {10.1088/0004-637X/751/1/16},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/22037270}, journal = {Astrophysical Journal},
issn = {0004-637X},
number = 1,
volume = 751,
place = {United States},
year = {Sun May 20 00:00:00 EDT 2012},
month = {Sun May 20 00:00:00 EDT 2012}
}