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LIGO/Virgo Black Holes from a First Order Quark Confinement Phase Transition
1Physics Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973, USA.
Physical Review Letters
|October 2, 2019
Summary
Primordial black holes observed by LIGO/Virgo may originate from a first-order phase transition in an early universe Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) variant. This scenario involves a light scalar, potentially explaining dark matter.
Area of Science:
- Cosmology and Astrophysics
- Particle Physics
- Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD)
Background:
- LIGO/Virgo observations detect black holes with masses around 10 solar masses.
- The Standard Model's Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) describes strong interactions but doesn't fully explain early universe phenomena.
- Understanding the early universe's phase transitions is crucial for cosmological models.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose a mechanism for the formation of observed stellar-mass primordial black holes.
- To explore a modified Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) scenario in the early universe.
- To identify a potential dark matter candidate within this cosmological model.
Main Methods:
- Theoretical modeling of a first-order phase transition in a deformed Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) at temperatures below 100 MeV.
- Investigating the role of small quark masses relative to the confinement scale near the transition temperature.
- Implementing the scenario with a light scalar particle.
Main Results:
- The proposed first-order phase transition in early universe QCD' can generate O(10 solar mass) black holes.
- Maintaining small quark masses down to the transition temperature (T~) is key to a first-order QCD' transition.
- A light scalar particle is introduced, which naturally fits as a dark matter candidate.
Conclusions:
- The study provides a viable mechanism linking early universe phase transitions in a modified QCD to observed primordial black holes.
- The proposed model offers a potential explanation for dark matter through a light scalar particle.
- This framework connects high-energy particle physics with astrophysical observations of black holes.
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