Loeb says that the formation of primordial black holes would definitely represent new physics. What would the detection of such an exotic black hole mean for physics? The authors estimate that it might be somewhat likely that our solar system gravitationally-captured at least once such primordial black hole over the eons. Simply by their sheer numbers in the cosmos. Why would our own solar system harbor such an exotic primordial black hole? And they expect to be able to rule out or confirm Planet 9 as a primordial black hole within the first two years of the LSST’s operation. The authors say that such brief accretion flares would be detected at a rate of at least a few per year out to a distance of some 105 AU. And since Planet 9's position is unknown, Siraj notes the fact that LSST surveys the sky so quickly maximizes its chance of catching a flare. We calculated that the flares from the accretion of a small body onto a Planet 9 black hole would be brightest near the optical band, where LSST operates, he says.
The LSST will be unique in its ability to survey the entire sky about twice per week at a remarkable level of sensitivity, Siraj told me. The authors calculate that they would be capable of detecting the first such accretion flare within a few months of the LSST’s operation which is now slated for first light in 2021. The idea is that once in the vicinity of a black hole, small cometary bodies would melt as a result of Heating from the background accretion of gas from the interstellar medium onto the black hole, Amir Siraj, the paper’s first author and an Harvard University undergraduate, noted in a statement.
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