Florian Kühnel

Date: Tue. March 17th, 2026, 11:30 am-12:30 pm
Location: Foldy room
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Title: Primordial Black Holes — Positivist Perspective, Quantum Quiddity and Galaxy Genesis

Abstract: Primordial black holes are black holes that may have formed in the early Universe. Their masses potentially span a range from as low as the Planck mass up to many orders of magnitude above the solar mass. This, in particular, includes those black holes recently discovered through gravitational waves, and (part of) these may conceivably be of primordial origin. After a general introduction on primordial black holes, I review the observational hints for their existence — from a variety of lensing, dynamical, accretion and gravitational-wave effects. As I will show, all of these (over 20) may be explained by a single and simple unified model, naturally shaped by the thermal history of the Universe. If time permits, I discuss how recent advances in our understanding of quantum effects in black holes impact PBHs. This prominently concerns deviations from Hawking radiation in the form of the memory-burden effect. Finally, I will elucidate on the role primordial black holes have on early galaxy and star formation.