Primordial Black Hole Merger Rate in f(R)f(R) Gravity

Primordial black holes (PBHs) are known as one of the potential candidates for dark matter. They are expected to have formed due to the direct gravitational collapse of density fluctuations in the early Universe. Therefore, the study of the merger rate of PBHs in modified theories of gravity can provide more detailed information about their abundance. In this work, we delve into the calculation of the merger rate of PBHs within the theoretical framework of $f(R)$ gravity. Our analysis reveals an enhancement in the merger rate of PBHs compared to that obtained from general relativity (GR). Additionally, modulating the field strength $f_{R0}$ induces shifts in the PBH merger rate, presenting a potential observational signature of modified gravity. We also find that the total merger rate of PBHs will be consistent with the merger rate of black holes estimated by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO)-Virgo-KAGRA detectors if $f_{PBH}\gtrsim 0.1$. While further improvements might be required, relative enhancement of the merger rate of PBHs in the framework of $f(R)$ gravity and its consistency with gravitational wave data underscore the importance of employing modified theories of gravity to examine diverse scenarios related to the formation of black holes.Comment: 17 pages, 11 figures, references adde

On the effect of angular momentum on the prompt cusp formation via the gravitational collapse

In this work, we extend the model proposed by White concerning the post-collapse evolution of density peaks while considering the role of angular momentum. On a timescale smaller than the peak collapse, $t_{0}$, the inner regions of the peak reach the equilibrium forming a cuspy profile, as in White's paper, but the power-law density profile is flatter, namely $\rho \propto r^{-1.52}$, using the specific angular momentum $J$ obtained in theoretical models of how it evolves in CDM universes, namely $J \propto M^{2/3}$. The previous result shows how angular momentum influences the slope of the density profile, and how a slightly flatter profile obtained in high-resolution numerical simulations, namely $\rho \propto r^{\alpha}$, $(\alpha \simeq -1.5)$ can be reobtained. Similarly to simulations, in our model adiabatic contraction was not taken into account. This means that more comprehensive simulations could give different values for the slope of the density profile, similar to an improvement of our model.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figure, refs. adde

Cosmological Inflation in f(Q, T) Gravity

We study the cosmological inflation within the context of f(Q, T) gravity, wherein Q is the nonmetricity scalar and T is the trace of the matter energy-momentum tensor. By choosing a linear combination of Q and T, we first analyze the realization of an inflationary scenario driven via the geometrical effects of f(Q, T) gravity and then, we obtain the modified slow-roll parameters, the scalar and the tensor spectral indices, and the tensor-to-scalar ratio for the proposed model. In addition, by choosing a few appropriate inflationary potentials and by applying the slow-roll approximations, we calculate these inflationary observables in the presence of an inflaton scalar field. The results indicate that by properly restricting the free parameters, the proposed model provides appropriate predictions that are consistent with the observational data obtained from the Planck 2018.Comment: 14 pages, a few figure

On the Merger Rate of Primordial Black Holes in Cosmic Voids

Cosmic voids are known as underdense substructures of the cosmic web that cover a large volume of the Universe. It is known that cosmic voids contain a small number of dark matter halos, so the existence of primordial black holes (PBHs) in these secluded regions of the Universe is not unlikely. In this work, we calculate the merger rate of PBHs in dark matter halos structured in cosmic voids and determine their contribution to gravitational wave events resulting from black hole mergers recorded by the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (aLIGO)-Advanced Virgo (aVirgo) detectors. Relying on the PBH scenario, the results of our analysis indicate that about $2 \sim 3$ annual events of binary black hole mergers out of all those recorded by the aLIGO-aVirgo detectors should belong to cosmic voids. We also calculate the redshift evolution of the merger rate of PBHs in cosmic voids. The results show that the evolution of the merger rate of PBHs has minimum sensitivity to the redshift changes, which seems reasonable while considering the evolution of cosmic voids. Finally, we specify the behavior of the merger rate of PBHs as a function of their mass and fraction in cosmic voids and we estimate $\mathcal{R} (M_{PBH}, f_{PBH})$ relation, which is well compatible with our findings.Comment: 11 pages; 4 figures; References are include

Primordial Black Hole Merger Rate in Self-Interacting Dark Matter Halo Models

We study the merger rate of primordial black holes (PBHs) in the self-interacting dark matter (SIDM) halo models. To explore a numerical description for the density profile of the SIDM halo models, we use the result of a previously performed simulation for the SIDM halo models with $\sigma/m=10~cm^{2}g^{-1}$. We also propose a concentration-mass-time relation that can explain the evolution of the halo density profile related to the SIDM models. Furthermore, we investigate the encounter condition of PBHs that may have been distributed in the medium of dark matter halos randomly. Under these assumptions, we calculate the merger rate of PBHs within each halo considering the SIDM halo models and compare the results with the one obtained for the cold dark matter (CDM) halo models. We indicate that the merger rate of PBHs for the SIDM halo models during the first epoch should be lower than the corresponding result for the CDM halo models, while by the time entering the second epoch sufficient PBH mergers in the SIDM halo models can be generated and even exceed the one resulted from the CDM halo models. By considering the spherical-collapse halo mass function, we obtain similar results for the cumulative merger rate of PBHs. Moreover, we calculate the redshift evolution of the PBH total merger rate. To determine a constraint on the PBH abundance, we study the merger rate of PBHs in terms of their fraction and masses and compare those with the black hole merger rate estimated by the Advanced LIGO (aLIGO) detectors during the third observing run. The results demonstrate that within the context of the SIDM halo models during the second epoch, the merger rate of $10~M_{\odot}-10~M_{\odot}$ events falls within the aLIGO window. We also estimate a relation between the fraction of PBHs and their masses, which is well consistent with our findings.Comment: 15 pages, 8 figures, refs. adde

The Merger Rate of Primordial Black Hole-Neutron Star Binaries in Ellipsoidal-Collapse Dark Matter Halo Models

Primordial black holes (PBHs), as a potential macroscopic candidate for dark matter, can encounter other compact objects in dark matter halos because of their random distribution. Besides, the detection of gravitational waves (GWs) related to the stellar-mass black hole-neutron star (BH-NS) mergers raises the possibility that the BHs involved in such events may have a primordial origin. In this work, we calculate the merger rate of PBH-NS binaries within the framework of ellipsoidal-collapse dark matter halo models and compare it with the corresponding results derived from spherical-collapse dark matter halo models. Our results exhibit that ellipsoidal-collapse dark matter halo models can potentially amplify the merger rate of PBH-NS binaries in such a way that it is very close to the range estimated by the LIGO-Virgo observations. While spherical-collapse dark matter halo models cannot justify PBH-NS merger events as consistent results with the latest GW data reported by the LIGO-Virgo collaboration. In addition, we calculate the merger rate of PBH-NS binaries as a function of PBH mass and fraction within the context of ellipsoidal-collapse dark matter halo models. The results indicate that PBH-NS merger events with the mass of $(M_{PBH}\le 5 M_{\odot}, M_{NS}\simeq 1.4 M_{\odot})$ will be consistent with the LIGO-Virgo observations if $f_{PBH}\simeq 1$. We also show that to have at least on $(M_{PBH}\simeq 5 M_{\odot}, M_{NS}\simeq 1.4 M_{\odot})$ event in the comoving volume $1 Gpc^{3}$ annually, ellipsoidal-collapse dark matter halo models constrain the abundance of PBHs as $f_{PBH} \geq 0.1$.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, 1 table, references adde

Compact Binary Merger Rate in Dark-Matter Spikes

Nowadays, the existence of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) in the center of galactic halos is almost confirmed. An extremely dense region referred to as dark-matter spike is expected to form around central SMBHs as they grow and evolve adiabatically. In this work, we calculate the merger rate of compact binaries in dark-matter spikes while considering halo models with spherical and ellipsoidal collapses. Our findings exhibit that ellipsoidal-collapse dark matter halo models can potentially yield the enhancement of the merger rate of compact binaries. Finally, our results confirm that the merger rate of primordial black hole binaries is consistent with the results estimated by the LIGO-Virgo detectors, while such results can not be realized for primordial black hole-neutron star binaries.Comment: 13 pages; 5 figures; references added, typos were fixe

Lactobacillaceae and Cell Adhesion: Genomic and Functional Screening

The analysis of collections of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) from traditional fermented plant foods in tropical countries may enable the detection of LAB with interesting properties. Binding capacity is often the main criterion used to investigate the probiotic characteristics of bacteria. In this study, we focused on a collection of 163 Lactobacillaceace comprising 156 bacteria isolated from traditional amylaceous fermented foods and seven strains taken from a collection and used as controls. The collection had a series of analyses to assess binding potential for the selection of new probiotic candidates. The presence/absence of 14 genes involved in binding to the gastrointestinal tract was assessed. This enabled the detection of all the housekeeping genes (ef-Tu, eno, gap, groEl and srtA) in the entire collection, of some of the other genes (apf, cnb, fpbA, mapA, mub) in 86% to 100% of LAB, and of the other genes (cbsA, gtf, msa, slpA) in 0% to 8% of LAB. Most of the bacteria isolated from traditional fermented foods exhibited a genetic profile favorable for their binding to the gastrointestinal tract. We selected 30 strains with different genetic profiles to test their binding ability to non-mucus (HT29) and mucus secreting (HT29-MTX) cell lines as well as their ability to degrade mucus. Assays on both lines revealed high variability in binding properties among the LAB, depending on the cell model used. Finally, we investigated if their binding ability was linked to tighter cross-talk between bacteria and eukaryotic cells by measuring the expression of bacterial genes and of the eukaryotic MUC2 gene. Results showed that wild LAB from tropical amylaceous fermented food had a much higher binding capacity than the two LAB currently known to be probiotics. However their adhesion was not linked to any particular genetic equipment