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Transient solar oscillations driven by primordial black holes
Michael Kesden1, Shravan Hanasoge
1Center for Cosmology and Particle Physics, Department of Physics, New York University, New York, New York 10003, USA. mhk10@nyu.edu
Physical Review Letters
|October 27, 2011
Summary
Primordial black holes (PBHs) passing through stars create detectable seismic waves, similar to sound. Asteroid-mass PBHs could be found using current solar observatories, impacting cosmology.
Area of Science:
- Astronomy and Astrophysics
- Cosmology
- High-Energy Physics
Background:
- Stars act as transparent mediums for primordial black holes (PBHs).
- The gravitational influence of a PBH passing through a star causes acoustic oscillations, or ringing.
- Solar oscillations are typically excited by supersonic turbulence.
Purpose of the Study:
- To calculate the seismic signature of a PBH transiting the Sun.
- To determine the detectability of PBHs using solar observatories.
- To explore the potential for detecting PBHs in other stars.
Main Methods:
- Calculating the seismic signature induced by a PBH passing through the Sun.
- Analyzing the spectrum of solar oscillations.
- Comparing PBH-induced oscillations with background solar noise.
Main Results:
- PBHs with masses exceeding 10^21 g (asteroid mass) are predicted to be detectable by existing solar observatories.
- PBH-induced oscillations exhibit distinct characteristics, peaking at large scales and high frequencies.
- The seismic signature of PBHs offers a novel detection method.
Conclusions:
- The Sun can serve as a seismic detector for PBHs.
- Detection of PBHs is feasible with current technology, particularly for more massive objects.
- The discovery of PBHs would significantly advance our understanding of cosmology and high-energy physics.
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