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GW231123: A Possible Primordial Black Hole Origin
Valerio De Luca1, Gabriele Franciolini2, Antonio Riotto3
1University of Pennsylvania, Center for Particle Cosmology, Department of Physics and Astronomy, 209 South 33rd Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA.
Physical Review Letters
|June 7, 2026
Summary
The heaviest binary black hole merger, GW231123, may consist of primordial black holes. This scenario explains its mass and high spins, with future observations poised to confirm or refute this origin.
Area of Science:
- Astrophysics
- Cosmology
- Gravitational Wave Astronomy
Background:
- GW231123 is the most massive binary black hole merger detected by the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA Collaboration.
- It resides in the pair-instability mass gap and shows unusually high component spins.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the origin of the merging black holes in GW231123.
- To determine if a primordial black hole scenario can explain the observed properties of GW231123.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of GW231123's mass and spin data.
- Modeling within the primordial black hole framework, incorporating cosmological accretion.
Main Results:
- The observed masses and high spins of GW231123 are consistent with a primordial black hole origin.
- The required event rate for this scenario is at the boundary of existing observational constraints from X-ray and Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) data.
Conclusions:
- The GW231123 merger event provides compelling evidence supporting the primordial black hole hypothesis.
- Upcoming observations, including the O5 run and next-generation detectors, will be crucial for confirming or refuting this interpretation and exploring high-redshift primordial black hole populations.
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