PBHtest

PBHtest is a proposed diagnostic framework in astrophysics and cosmology designed to assess evidence for primordial black holes (PBHs) in observational data. The goal is to evaluate PBH dark matter hypotheses and PBH formation scenarios by integrating multiple data streams into a single statistical test. The framework treats PBHs as a population characterized by a mass function, spatial distribution, and possible clustering, and it aims to produce mass- and model-dependent constraints rather than isolated signals.

Core components of PBHtest include: (1) microlensing and femtolensing analyses of stellar and extragalactic sources to identify compact objects across a broad mass range; (2) gravitational wave catalogs to test whether a subset of binary black hole mergers could originate from PBH binaries; (3) checks against cosmic microwave background and large-scale structure data for accretion effects and density fluctuations induced by PBHs; (4) high-energy observations to search for Hawking radiation signals or accretion-related emissions for certain PBH mass windows. The framework emphasizes joint likelihoods, model comparison, and robust treatment of systematics across modalities.

Outputs consist of a mass-dependent PBH abundance constraint, posterior distributions for PBH parameters, and model-viability assessments under predefined priors. PBHtest is designed to be adaptable to new data and to incorporate alternative PBH formation models, such as early-universe phase transitions or collapse scenarios.

Limitations include dependence on priors about the PBH mass spectrum, uncertainties in lensing and accretion physics, and potential degeneracies with other compact objects or astrophysical processes. See also: primordial black hole, microlensing, gravitational waves, Hawking radiation.