Gaussian Planck Relics are Ruled-Out as Dark Matter by LIGO

Oem Trivedi; Abraham Loeb

doi:10.1016/j.dark.2025.102174

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arXiv · 2509.20533

Gaussian Planck Relics are Ruled-Out as Dark Matter by LIGO

Oem Trivedi·Abraham Loeb

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Abstract

Quantum Gravity models suggest that singularities in gravitational collapse can be replaced by bounces, leading to the formation of Planck star remnants (PSR) that survive as stable relics once the black holes evaporate to the Planck mass. Recently, we proposed that such relics can be a viable candidate for dark matter. Here we show that LIGO's upper limit on the gravitational wave background rules out a formation pathway of Planck mass relics as dark matter from Gaussian initial conditions. This leaves non-Gaussian primordial fluctuations as the only viable channel for making Planck mass relics as dark matter.

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Oem Trivedi, Abraham Loeb. 2025-09-24. Gaussian Planck Relics are Ruled-Out as Dark Matter by LIGO. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dark.2025.102174

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