Search

Non-Gaussianity in the primordial curvature perturbation is a crucial element of the early universe due to its significant impact on the primordial black hole (PBH) production. In this work, we focus on the effects of negative non-Gaussianity on PBH abundance through the lens of the compaction function criterion for PBH formation. Our setup utilizes an effective field theory of non-singular bounce, including the standard slow-roll inflation with an ultra-slow roll phase for amplifying the curvature perturbations to form PBHs. We investigate with two separate values of the non-Gaussianity parameter, $f_{\rm NL}=(-39.95,-35/8)$, found within the ekpyrotic contraction and the matter bounce scenarios, respectively, and show that a negatively large amount of $f_{\rm NL}$ can provide sizeable abundance, $10^{-3}\leq f_{\rm PBH}\leq 1$, and completely mitigates the PBH overproduction issue. We also highlight that the case with the effective sound speed $c_{s}=1$, coupled with $f_{\rm NL}=-39.95$, provides an agreement under $1\sigma$ for the scalar-induced gravitational wave explanation of the latest PTA (NANOGrav15 and EPTA) signal. Lastly, we extract an upper bound on the most negative value of, $f_{\rm NL}\sim -60$, below which we show breaching of the underlying perturbativity constraints on the power spectrum amplitude., Comment: 51 pages, 6 figures, 2 tables, Comments are welcome, Reference list updated

In order to unravel the present situation of the PBH overproduction problem, our study emphasizes the critical role played by the equation of state (EoS) parameter $w$ within the framework of effective field theory (EFT) of non-singular bounce. Our analysis focuses on a wide range of EoS parameter values that are still optimal for explaining the latest data from the pulsar timing array (PTA). As a result of our study, the most advantageous window, $0.31 \leq w \leq 1/3$, is identified as the location of a substantial PBH abundance, $f_{\rm PBH} \in (10^{-3},1)$ with large mass PBHs, $M_{\rm PBH}\sim {\cal O}(10^{-7}-10^{-3})M_{\odot}$, in the SIGW interpretation of the PTA signal. When confronted with PTA, we find that the overproduction avoiding circumstances are between $1\sigma-2\sigma$, while the EoS parameter lies inside the narrow window, $0.31

The Gas Amplifier Detector with Germanium Tagging (GADGET) is a new detection system devoted to the measurement of weak, low-energy $\beta$-delayed proton decays relevant for nuclear astrophysics studies. It is comprised of a new gaseous Proton Detector equipped with a Micromegas readout for charged particle detection, surrounded by the existing Segmented Germanium Array (SeGA) for the high-resolution detection of the prompt $\gamma$-rays. In this work we describe in detail for the first time the design, construction, and operation of the GADGET system, including performance of the Proton Detector. We present the results of a recent commissioning experiment performed with \textsuperscript{25}Si beam at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL). GADGET provided low-background, low-energy $\beta$-delayed proton detection with efficiency above 95\%, and relatively good efficiency for proton-gamma coincidences (2.7\% at 1.37 MeV).