DOE PAGES title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Supermassive primordial black holes from inflation

Journal Article · · Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [2]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [2]
  1. University of Chicago, IL (United States). Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics (KICP); University of Chicago, IL (United States); Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States). Theoretical Astrophysics Group
  2. Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States). Theoretical Astrophysics Group

There is controversy surrounding the origin and evolution of our universe's largest supermassive black holes (SMBHs). In this study, we consider the possibility that some of these black holes formed from the direct collapse of primordial density perturbations. Since the mass of a primordial black hole is limited by the size of the cosmological horizon at the time of collapse, these SMBHs must form rather late, and are naively in conflict with constraints from CMB spectral distortions. These limits can be avoided, however, if the distribution of primordial curvature perturbations is highly non-Gaussian. After quantifying the departure from Gaussianity needed to evade these bounds, we explore a model of multi-field inflation — a non-minimal, self-interacting curvaton model — which has all the necessary ingredients to yield such dramatic non-Gaussianities. We leave the detailed model building and numerics to a future study, however, as our goal is to highlight the challenges associated with forming SMBHs from direct collapse and to identify features that a successful model would need to have. This study is particularly timely in light of recent observations of high-redshift massive galaxy candidates by the James Webb Space Telescope as well as evidence from the NANOGrav experiment for a stochastic gravitational wave background consistent with SMBH mergers.

Research Organization:
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), High Energy Physics (HEP)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-07CH11359
OSTI ID:
1996512
Report Number(s):
FERMILAB-PUB--23-390-T; arXiv:2308.00756; oai:inspirehep.net:2684586
Journal Information:
Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics, Journal Name: Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics Journal Issue: 04 Vol. 2024; ISSN 1475-7516
Publisher:
Institute of Physics (IOP)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (149)

Generating the curvature perturbation without an inflaton journal January 2002
A Catalog of Quasar Properties from Sloan Digital sky Survey data Release 7 journal June 2011
Stochastic de sitter (inflationary) stage in the early universe book January 1988
THE PAN-STARRS1 DISTANT z > 5.6 QUASAR SURVEY: MORE THAN 100 QUASARS WITHIN THE FIRST GYR OF THE UNIVERSE journal November 2016
The near and mid-infrared photometric properties of known redshift z ≥ 5 quasars journal March 2020
How the super-Eddington regime regulates black hole growth in high-redshift galaxies journal February 2023
Parameterization of temperature and spectral distortions in future CMB experiments journal October 2014
Angular correlation as a novel probe of supermassive primordial black holes journal July 2021
One small step for an inflaton, one giant leap for inflation: A novel non-Gaussian tail and primordial black holes journal November 2022
Steepest growth of the power spectrum and primordial black holes journal June 2019
Which spectral distortions does ΛCDM actually predict? journal April 2016
The primordial black hole formation criterion re-examined: Parametrisation, timing and the choice of window function journal November 2019
How well do we know the primordial black hole abundance: The crucial role of nonlinearities when approaching the horizon journal September 2023
Runnings in the curvaton journal June 2012
Primordial black holes from inflation and quantum diffusion journal July 2018
Non-Gaussian formation of primordial black holes: effects on the threshold journal December 2019
Probing the Inflaton: Small-Scale Power Spectrum Constraints from Measurements of the Cosmic Microwave Background Energy Spectrum journal September 2012
The evolution of CMB spectral distortions in the early Universe: CMB spectral distortions journal November 2011
The Largest Black Holes and the Most Luminous Galaxies journal January 2003
Accretion-driven evolution of black holes: Eddington ratios, duty cycles and active galaxy fractions journal October 2012
BLACK HOLE MASS AND GROWTH RATE AT z ≃ 4.8: A SHORT EPISODE OF FAST GROWTH FOLLOWED BY SHORT DUTY CYCLE ACTIVITY journal February 2011
Super-Horizon Scale Dynamics of Multi-Scalar Inflation journal May 1998
On primordial black holes from an inflection point journal December 2017
The statistics of peaks of Gaussian random fields journal May 1986
Planck 2018 results: IX. Constraints on primordial non-Gaussianity journal September 2020
Primordial black hole formation in nonminimal curvaton scenarios journal November 2023
Logarithmic Duality of the Curvature Perturbation journal July 2023
The NANOGrav 15 yr Data Set: Evidence for a Gravitational-wave Background journal June 2023
A Survey of [CLC][ITAL]z[/ITAL][/CLC] > 5.8 Quasars in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. I. Discovery of Three New Quasars and the Spatial Density of Luminous Quasars at [CLC][ITAL]z[/ITAL][/CLC] ∼ 6 journal December 2001
Primordial black holes from single field models of inflation journal December 2017
Discovery and properties of ultra-high redshift galaxies (9 < z < 12) in the JWST ERO SMACS 0723 Field journal November 2022
The Black Hole Mass Function across Cosmic Time. II. Heavy Seeds and (Super)Massive Black Holes journal July 2022
The NANOGrav 15 yr Data Set: Bayesian Limits on Gravitational Waves from Individual Supermassive Black Hole Binaries journal July 2023
Generating PBHs and small-scale GWs in two-field models of inflation journal August 2020
Nonlinear evolution of long-wavelength metric fluctuations in inflationary models journal December 1990
Exploring Reionization-era Quasars. III. Discovery of 16 Quasars at 6.4 ≲ z ≲ 6.9 with DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys and the UKIRT Hemisphere Survey and Quasar Luminosity Function at z ∼ 6.7 journal October 2019
The Cosmic Microwave Background Spectrum from the Full COBE FIRAS Data Set journal December 1996
Constraints from Gravitational Recoil on the Growth of Supermassive Black Holes at High Redshift journal September 2004
Is There a Maximum mass for Black Holes in Galactic Nuclei? journal September 2016
Recent Gravitational Wave Observation by Pulsar Timing Arrays and Primordial Black Holes: The Importance of Non-Gaussianities journal November 2023
Non-Gaussian fingerprints of self-interacting curvaton journal April 2010
Abundance of primordial black holes in peak theory for an arbitrary power spectrum journal October 2020
A General Analytic Formula for the Spectral Index of the Density Perturbations Produced during Inflation journal January 1996
Separate universes do not constrain primordial black hole formation journal June 2011
Did JWST observe imprints of axion miniclusters or primordial black holes? journal February 2023
Non-Gaussianity and gravitational waves from a quadratic and self-interacting curvaton journal March 2011
Primordial black hole formation with non-Gaussian curvature perturbations journal September 2019
Non-perturbative non-Gaussianity and primordial black holes journal May 2023
Application of peaks theory to the abundance of primordial black holes journal November 2020
An 800-million-solar-mass black hole in a significantly neutral Universe at a redshift of 7.5 journal December 2017
Primordial non-Gaussianity up to all orders: Theoretical aspects and implications for primordial black hole models journal February 2023
The first supermassive black holes journal June 2017
Threshold of primordial black hole formation journal October 2013
A single field inflation model with large local non-Gaussianity journal June 2013
Primordial black holes from a curvaton scenario with strongly non-Gaussian perturbations journal November 2023
Searching for the Nano-Hertz Stochastic Gravitational Wave Background with the Chinese Pulsar Timing Array Data Release I journal June 2023
Beyond y and μ: the shape of the CMB spectral distortions in the intermediate epoch, 1.5 × 10 4z ≲2 × 10 5 journal September 2012
Ultra-slow-roll inflation with quantum diffusion journal April 2021
Minimally parametric power spectrum reconstruction from the Lyman α forest: P(k) reconstruction from Lyman α journal March 2011
Measurement of the cosmic microwave background spectrum by the COBE FIRAS instrument journal January 1994
Primordial black holes as a dark matter candidate journal February 2021
The primordial black hole mass spectrum journal October 1975
Black holes and the multiverse journal February 2016
Quasars at z  = 6: The Survival of the Fittest journal October 2006
Universal threshold for primordial black hole formation journal February 2020
Calculating the mass fraction of primordial black holes journal July 2014
A general proof of the conservation of the curvature perturbation journal May 2005
Density perturbations and black hole formation in hybrid inflation journal November 1996
Inflationary Prediction for Primordial Non-Gaussianity journal September 2005
Formation of Galaxies and Clusters of Galaxies by Self-Similar Gravitational Condensation journal February 1974
Non-Gaussianity of the primordial perturbation in the curvaton model journal November 2006
An ultraluminous quasar with a twelve-billion-solar-mass black hole at redshift 6.30 journal February 2015
Planck 2018 results: VI. Cosmological parameters journal September 2020
PBH in single field inflation: the effect of shape dispersion and non-Gaussianities journal May 2020
Primordial black holes and uncertainties in the choice of the window function journal May 2018
Revisiting non-Gaussianity from non-attractor inflation models journal May 2018
Signatures of primordial black holes as seeds of supermassive black holes journal May 2018
The exponential tail of inflationary fluctuations: consequences for primordial black holes journal March 2020
Stochastic ultra slow roll inflation journal January 2019
Primordial black hole dark matter from single field inflation journal January 2018
The origins of massive black holes journal September 2021
Eight new luminous z ≥ 6 quasars discovered via SED model fitting of VISTA, WISE and Dark Energy Survey Year 1 observations journal March 2017
Non-Gaussianity in the curvaton scenario journal February 2004
THE CANADA-FRANCE HIGH- z QUASAR SURVEY: NINE NEW QUASARS AND THE LUMINOSITY FUNCTION AT REDSHIFT 6 journal February 2010
The Self-Interacting Curvaton journal January 2011
Massive primordial black holes from hybrid inflation as dark matter and the seeds of galaxies journal July 2015
THE FINAL SDSS HIGH-REDSHIFT QUASAR SAMPLE OF 52 QUASARS AT z > 5.7 journal December 2016
CEERS Key Paper. I. An Early Look into the First 500 Myr of Galaxy Formation with JWST journal March 2023
Violation of non-Gaussianity consistency relation in a single-field inflationary model journal February 2013
New calculation of the mass fraction of primordial black holes journal August 2004
Primordial black holes in non-Gaussian regimes journal August 2013
Non-linear isocurvature perturbations and non-Gaussianities journal December 2008
Hyperbolic Inflation journal December 2018
Subaru High- z Exploration of Low-luminosity Quasars (SHELLQs). X. Discovery of 35 Quasars and Luminous Galaxies at 5.7 ≤ z ≤ 7.0 journal October 2019
The bolometric quasar luminosity function at z = 0–7 journal January 2020
NANOGrav signal as mergers of Stupendously Large Primordial Black Holes journal June 2021
Primordial black holes and generalized constraints on chaotic inflation journal July 1993
Primordial black holes from polynomial potentials in single field inflation journal April 2018
Inflation and Primordial Black Holes journal April 2023
Turning in the landscape: A new mechanism for generating primordial black holes journal June 2023
Dynamics of phase transition in the new inflationary universe scenario and generation of perturbations journal November 1982
The subdominant curvaton journal November 2009
Effects of cosmological moduli fields on cosmic microwave background journal December 2001
The power spectrum on small scales: robust constraints and comparing PBH methodologies journal February 2021
Amplification of primordial perturbations from the rise or fall of the inflaton journal February 2022
Supermassive black holes formed by direct collapse of inflationary perturbations journal November 2016
Spin, Accretion, and the Cosmological Growth of Supermassive Black Holes journal February 2005
The Assembly of Supermassive Black Holes at high Redshifts journal April 2009
Scale-dependence of non-Gaussianity in the curvaton model journal September 2010
Adiabatic CMB perturbations in pre-Big-Bang string cosmology journal April 2002
Statistics of coarse-grained cosmological fields in stochastic inflation journal February 2022
Two Remarkably Luminous Galaxy Candidates at z ≈ 10–12 Revealed by JWST journal November 2022
Isocurvature baryon perturbations and inflation journal July 1990
Planck 2018 results: X. Constraints on inflation journal September 2020
A luminous quasar at a redshift of z = 7.085 journal June 2011
Thermalization and spectral distortions of the cosmic background radiation journal July 1993
Primordial black holes from multifield inflation with nonminimal couplings journal September 2022
Gauge-invariant cosmological perturbations journal October 1980
The hand-made tail: non-perturbative tails from multifield inflation journal May 2022
Black hole formation in the Friedmann universe: Formulation and computation in numerical relativity journal September 1999
Small-scale fluctuations of relic radiation journal April 1970
In-in and δ N calculations of the bispectrum from non-attractor single-field inflation journal December 2013
Simplest curvaton model journal June 2002
Signatures of non-Gaussianity in the curvaton model journal September 2008
Superposition of blackbodies and the dipole anisotropy: A possibility to calibrate CMB experiments journal August 2004
Correlation functions in stochastic inflation journal September 2015
Highly non-Gaussian tails and primordial black holes from single-field inflation journal December 2022
The interaction of matter and radiation in a hot-model universe journal July 1969
Conformal frame dependence of inflation journal April 2015
Strongly scale-dependent polyspectra from curvaton self-interactions journal November 2011
The second data release from the European Pulsar Timing Array journal October 2023
THE LOCAL BLACK HOLE MASS FUNCTION DERIVED FROM THE MBH–P AND THE MBH–n RELATIONS journal October 2016
Is there an upper limit to black hole masses? journal March 2009
Supermassive Black Holes, Ultralight Dark Matter, and Gravitational Waves from a First Order Phase Transition journal February 2022
Supermassive primordial black holes: A view from clustering of quasars at z∼6 journal September 2023
Enhancement of superhorizon scale inflationary curvature perturbations journal June 2001
The NANOGrav 15 yr Data Set: Constraints on Supermassive Black Hole Binaries from the Gravitational-wave Background journal August 2023
Search for an Isotropic Gravitational-wave Background with the Parkes Pulsar Timing Array journal June 2023
Abundance of primordial black holes with local non-Gaussianity in peak theory journal September 2019
Constraining the primordial curvature perturbation using dark matter substructure journal November 2022
Accretion of Interstellar Matter by Massive Objects. journal August 1964
Quantum diffusion during inflation and primordial black holes journal October 2017
Primordial black holes from a tiny bump/dip in the inflaton potential journal April 2020
Formation of supermassive black holes journal April 2010
Primordial seeds of supermassive black holes journal May 2012
The formation of supermassive black holes from Population III.1 seeds. I. Cosmic formation histories and clustering properties journal December 2018
Primordial black hole production during first-order phase transitions journal January 2022
Seeding Primordial Black Holes in Multifield Inflation journal September 2020
Cosmic conundra explained by thermal history and primordial black holes journal January 2021