Dark ages bounds on nonaccreting massive compact halo objects
Phys. Rev. D 114, 063533 – Published 18 September, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/vhs3-f8dc
Abstract
We derive a complementary cosmological upper bound on the fraction of dark matter residing inside nonaccreting massive compact halo objects (MACHOs) using the cosmic dawn and dark ages global 21-cm signal (). MACHOs of mass moving through the baryonic fluid during postrecombination transfer kinetic energy to the intergalactic medium via dynamical friction, thereby raising the gas temperature and distorting the 21-cm signal predicted in the cold dark matter framework. We consider both a monochromatic distribution of MACHOs and two extended mass distributions: log-normal and critical collapse. Imposing the conditions that the deviation in the global 21-cm signal does not exceed 50 mK at or 15 mK at , and that no emission signal appears at , we derive upper bounds on the MACHO fraction across the mass range . The dark ages and criterion yield constraints that are both tighter and free from astrophysical uncertainties associated with star formation, particularly for , providing a complementary cosmological window. The extended mass distributions yield bounds that are less stringent than those of their monochromatic counterparts.