New Insights into Tidal Love Numbers of Primordial Black Holes

Recent research by Valerio De Luca, Gabriele Franciolini, and Antonio Riotto, titled "The Flea on the Elephant: tidal Love numbers in subsolar primordial black hole searches," explores the characteristics of primordial black holes, particularly their tidal Love numbers. This study, submitted on August 26, 2024, suggests that these Love numbers, which are typically thought to vanish, can actually be significant in the presence of small disturbances.

The authors argue that these disturbances can generate a detectable Love number, which could complicate the search for primordial black holes. They note that while these perturbations are not tightly bound and may disrupt before mergers, they leave a distinct signature in gravitational waveforms. This signature could be identified by current and future gravitational wave detectors.

The implications of this research are notable for astrophysics, as it may enhance the understanding of primordial black holes and their role in the universe. The findings indicate that ignoring environmental effects in gravitational wave searches could lead to reduced sensitivity in detecting these elusive objects.

For further details, the paper can be accessed at arXiv:2408.14207.