Robust $\mu$-distortion constraints on primordial supermassive black holes from non-Gaussian perturbations

Abstract

Explaining the origin of supermassive black holes via a primordial origin is severely challenged by the tight spectral distortion constraints on the amplitude of the primordial perturbations. Following the first calculation of how the $\mu$ constraints are modified by non-Gaussianity in a companion paper, we here make the first robust constraints on primordial black hole formation under large non-Gaussianity. Even the infinite $f_{\mathrm{NL}}$ limit is insufficiently non-Gaussian but much higher-order non-Gaussianity of the form $\mathcal{R}={\mathcal{R}}_{\mathrm{G}}^5$ may allow the formation of any mass primordial black hole without conflicting with distortion constraints. We caution that such extreme models face other challenges.

24 pages, 6 figures. v2: Minor typos corrected and references added to match the published version