We propose a novel class of compact dark matter objects in theories where the dark matter consists of multiple sectors. We call these objects N-MACHOs. In such theories neither the existence of dark matter species nor their extremely weak coupling to the observable sector represent additional hypotheses but instead are imposed by the solution to the Hierarchy Problem and unitarity. The crucial point is that particles from the same sector have nontrivial interactions but interact only gravitationally otherwise. As a consequence, the pressure that counteracts the gravitational collapse is reduced while the gravitational force remains the same. This results in collapsed structures much lighter and smaller as compared to the ordinary single-sector case. We apply this phenomenon to a dark matter theory that consists of N dilute copies of the Standard Model. The solutions do not rely on an exotic stabilization mechanism, but rather use the same well-understood properties as known stellar structures. This framework also gives rise to new microscopic superheavy structures, for example with mass 10(8) g and size 10(-13) cm. By confronting the resulting objects with observational constraints, we find that, due to a huge suppression factor entering the mass spectrum, these objects evade the strongest constrained region of the parameter space. Finally, we discuss possible formation scenarios of N-MACHOs. We argue that, due to the efficient dissipation of energy on small scales, high-density regions such as ultracompact minihalos could serve as formation sites of N-MACHOs.

Primordial black holes which are produced during an epoch of matter domination are expected to spin rapidly. It is shown that this leads to an enhancement of the detectability of the stochastic gravitational-wave background from their mergers. For a specific model, we explicitly demonstrate that this yields a 50% increase of the gravitational-wave amplitude as compared to the non-spinning case.

A significant fraction of cosmological dark matter can be formed by very dense macroscopic objects, for example primordial black holes. Gravitational waves offer a promising way to probe these kinds of dark-matter candidates, in a parameter space region that is relatively untested by electromagnetic observations. In this work we consider an ensemble of macroscopic dark matter with masses in the range 10(-13)-1M(circle dot) orbiting a super-massive black hole. While the strain produced by an individual dark-matter particle will be very small, gravitational waves emitted by a large number of such objects will add incoherently and produce a stochastic gravitational-wave background. We show that LISA can be a formidable machine for detecting the stochastic background of such objects orbiting the black hole in the centre of the Milky Way, Sgr A*, if a dark-matter spike of the type originally predicted by Gondolo and Silk forms near the central black hole.

The effect of large quantum fluctuations on primordial black-hole formation for inflationary models with a quasi-inflection point is investigated. By using techniques of stochastic inflation in combination with replica field theory and the Feynman-Jensen variational method, it is non-perturbatively demonstrated that the abundance of primordial black holes is amplified by several orders of magnitude as compared to the classical computation.

The existence (and abundance) of primordial black holes (PBHs) is governed by the power spectrum of primordial perturbations generated during inflation. So far no PBHs have been observed, and instead, increasingly stringent bounds on their existence at different scales have been obtained. Up until recently, this has been exploited in attempts to constrain parts of the inflationary power spectrum that are unconstrained by cosmological observations. We first point out that the simple translation of the PBH non-observation bounds into constraints on the primordial power spectrum is inaccurate as it fails to include realistic aspects of PBH formation and evolution. We then demonstrate, by studying two examples of uncertainties from the effects of critical and non-spherical collapse, that even though they may seem small, they have important implications for the usefulness of the constraints. In particular, we point out that the uncertainty induced by non-spherical collapse may be much larger than the difference between particular bounds from PBH non-observations and the general maximum cap stemming from the condition Omega <= 1 on the dark-matter density in the form of PBHs. We therefore make the cautious suggestion of applying only the overall maximum dark-matter constraint to models of early Universe, as this requirement seems to currently provide a more reliable constraint, which better reflects our current lack of detailed knowledge of PBH formation. These, and other effects, such as merging, clustering and accretion, may also loosen constraints from non-observations of other primordial compact objects such as ultra-compact minihalos of dark matter.

Constraints on primordial black holes in the range 10(-18) M circle dot to 10(3) M circle dot are reevaluated for a general class of extended mass functions. Whereas previous work has assumed that PBHs are produced with one single mass, instead there is expected to be a range of masses even in the case of production from a single mechanism; constraints therefore change from previous literature. Although tightly constrained in the majority of cases, it is shown that, even under conservative assumptions, primordial black holes in the mass range 10(-10) M circle dot to 10(-8) M circle dot could still constitute the entirety of the dark matter. This stresses both the importance for a comprehensive reevaluation of all respective constraints that have previously been evaluated only for a monochromatic mass function and the need to obtain more constraints in the allowed mass range.

Certain inflationary models as well as realisations of phase transitions in the early Universe predict the formation of primordial black holes. For most mass ranges, the fraction of matter in the form of primordial black holes is limited by many different observations on various scales. Primordial black holes are assumed to be formed when overdensities that cross the horizon have Schwarzschild radii larger than the horizon. Traditionally it was therefore assumed that primordial black-holemasses were equal to the horizon mass at their time of formation. However, detailed calculations of their collapse show that primordial black holes formed at each point in time should rather form a spectrum of different masses, obeying critical scaling. Though this has been known for more than 15 years, the effect of this scaling behaviour is largely ignored when considering predictions for primordial black-hole mass spectra. In this paper we consider the critical collapse scaling for a variety of models which produce primordial black holes, and find that it generally leads to a shift, broadening and an overall decrease of the mass contained in primordial black holes. This effect is model and parameter dependent and cannot be contained by a constant rescaling of the spectrum; it can become important and should be taken into account when comparing to observational constraints.

We reinvestigate gravitational ellipsoidal collapse with special focus on its impact on primordial black hole formation. We start with the results for the collapse threshold in the case of ellipsoidal collapse in the context of structure formation, and show heuristically that a similar functional form for the threshold should be expected in the case of primordial black hole formation. For a generic model we apply this to demonstrate that the abundance and energy density of the produced primordial black holes can be significantly decreased when the nonsphericity of the overdensities is taken into account. Further numerical study of this phenomenon may be crucial in order to produce reliable predictions for primordial black hole abundances from inflationary models.

The possibility that the dark matter comprises primordial black holes (PBHs) is considered, with particular emphasis on the currently allowed mass windows at 10(16)-10(17) g, 10(20)-10(24) g and 1-10(3)M(circle dot) The Planck mass relics of smaller evaporating PBHs are also considered. All relevant constraints (lensing, dynamical, large-scale structure and accretion) are reviewed and various effects necessary for a precise calculation of the PBH abundance (non-Gaussianity, nonsphericity, critical collapse and merging) are accounted for. It is difficult to put all the dark matter in PBHs if their mass function is monochromatic but this is still possible if the mass function is extended, as expected in many scenarios. A novel procedure for confronting observational constraints with an extended PBH mass spectrum is therefore introduced. This applies for arbitrary constraints and a wide range of PBH formation models and allows us to identify which model-independent conclusions can be drawn from constraints over all mass ranges. We focus particularly on PBHs generated by inflation, pointing out which effects in the formation process influence the mapping from the inflationary power spectrum to the PBH mass function. We then apply our scheme to two specific inflationary models in which PBHs provide the dark matter. The possibility that the dark matter is in intermediate-mass PBHs of 1-10(3)M(circle dot) is of special interest in view of the recent detection of black-hole mergers by LIGO. The possibility of Planck relics is also intriguing but virtually untestable.

Primordial black holes are studied in the Bose-Einstein condensate description of space-time. The question of baryon-number conservation is investigated with emphasis on the possible formation of bound states of the system's remaining captured baryons. This leads to distinct predictions both for the formation time, which for the naively natural assumptions is shown to lie between 10(-12) s and 10(12) s after the big bang, and for the remnant's mass, yielding approximately 3 x 10(23) kg in the same scheme. The consequences for astrophysically formed black holes are also considered.