Low Mass Black Holes from Dark Core Collapse

Unusual masses of black holes being discovered by gravitational wave experiments pose fundamental questions about the origin of these black holes. Black holes with masses smaller than the Chandrasekhar limit approximate to 1.4 M circle dot are essentially impossible to produce through stellar evolution. We propose a new channel for production of low mass black holes: stellar objects catastrophically accrete nonannihilating dark matter, and the small dark core subsequently collapses, eating up the host star and transmuting it into a black hole. The wide range of allowed dark matter masses allows a smaller effective Chandrasekhar limit and thus smaller mass black holes. We point out several avenues to test our proposal, focusing on the redshift dependence of the merger rate. We show that redshift dependence of the merger rate can be used as a probe of the transmuted origin of low mass black holes.

Automated summary

The discovery of unusual masses of black holes by gravitational wave experiments raises fundamental questions about their origin. A proposed new channel for the production of low mass black holes involves the catastrophic accretion of nonannihilating dark matter by stellar objects. Testing methods are suggested, focusing on the redshift dependence of the merger rate as a probe of the transmuted origin of low mass black holes.