Probability of primordial black hole formation and its dependence on the radial profile of initial configurations

In this paper we derive the probability of the radial profiles of spherically symmetric inhomogeneities in order to provide an improved estimation of the number density of primordial black holes (PBHs). We demonstrate that the probability of PBH formation depends sensitively on the radial profile of the initial configuration. We do this by characterising this profile with two parameters chosen heuristically: the amplitude of the inhomogeneity and the second radial derivative, both evaluated at the centre of the configuration. We calculate the joint probability of initial cosmological inhomogeneities as a function of these two parameters and then find a correspondence between these parameters and those used in numerical computations of PBH formation. Finally, we extend our heuristic study to evaluate the probability of PBH formation taking into account for the first time the radial profile of curvature inhomogeneities.Comment: Version 2 with corrections from referees included, changes mostly improve the presentatio

Primordial black hole formation in the radiative era: investigation of the critical nature of the collapse

Following on after two previous papers discussing the formation of primordial black holes in the early universe, we present here results from an in-depth investigation of the extent to which primordial black hole formation in the radiative era can be considered as an example of the critical collapse phenomenon. We focus on initial supra-horizon-scale perturbations of a type which could have come from inflation, with only a growing component and no decaying component. In order to study perturbations with amplitudes extremely close to the supposed critical limit, we have modified our previous computer code with the introduction of an adaptive mesh refinement scheme. This has allowed us to follow black hole formation from perturbations whose amplitudes are up to eight orders of magnitude closer to the threshold than we could do before. We find that scaling-law behaviour continues down to the smallest black hole masses that we are able to follow and we see no evidence of shock production such as has been reported in some previous studies and which led there to a breaking of the scaling-law behaviour at small black-hole masses. We attribute this difference to the different initial conditions used. In addition to the scaling law, we also present other features of the results which are characteristic of critical collapse in this context.Comment: 21 pages, 7 figures, the present version is updated with some changes and two new appendix. Accepted for pubblication in Classical and Quantum Gravit