Abstract: Primordial black holes (PBHs) represent a natural candidate for one of the components of the dark matter (DM) in the Universe. In this review, we shall discuss the basics of their formation, abundance and signatures. Some of their characteristic signals are examined, such as the emission of particles due to Hawking evaporation and the accretion of the surrounding matter, effects which could leave an impact in the evolution of the Universe and the formation of structures. The most relevant probes capable of constraining their masses and population are discussed.

Abstract: We study the light rings and shadows of an uniparametric family of spherically symmetric geometries interpolating between the Schwarzschild solution, a regular black hole, and a traversable wormhole, and dubbed as black bounces, all of them sharing the same critical impact parameter. We consider the ray-tracing method in order to study the impact parameter regions corresponding to the direct, lensed, and photon ring emissions, finding a broadening of all these regions for black bounce solutions as compared to the Schwarzschild one. Using this, we determine the optical appearance of black bounces when illuminated by three standard toy models of optically and geometrically thin accretion disks viewed in face-on orientation.

Abstract: The nature of the three narrow hidden-charm pentaquark P-c states, i.e., P-c (4312), P-c (4440) and P-c (4457), is under intense discussion since their discovery from the updated analysis of the process Lambda(0)(b) -> I ) J/psi pK(-) by LHCb. In this work we extend our previous coupled-channel approach [Phys. Rev. Lett. 124, 072001 (2020)], in which the Pc states are treated as Sigma(()(c)*()) (D) over bar (()*()) molecules, by including the Lambda(c)(D) over bar (()*()) and eta(c)p as explicit inelastic channels in addition to the J/psi p, as required by unitarity and heavy quark spin symmetry (HQSS), respectively. Since inelastic parameters are very badly constrained by the current data, three calculation schemes are considered: (a) scheme I with pure contact interactions between the elastic, i.e., Sigma(()(c)*()) (D) over bar (()*()), and inelastic channels and without the Lambda(c)(D) over bar (()*()) interactions, (b) scheme II, where the one-pion exchange (OPE) is added to scheme I, and (c) scheme III, where the Lambda(c)(D) over bar (()*()) interactions are included in addition. It is shown that to obtain cutoff independent results, OPE in the multichannel system is to be supplemented with S-wave-to-D-wave mixing contact terms. As a result, in line with our previous analysis, we demonstrate that the experimental data for the J/psi p invariant mass distribution are consistent with the interpretation of the P-c(4312) and P-c(4440)/P-c(4457) as Sigma(c)(D) over bar and Sigma(c)(D) over bar* hadronic molecules, respectively, and that the data show clear evidence for a new narrow state, P-c(4380), identified as a Sigma(c)*(D) over bar molecule, which should exist as a consequence of HQSS. While two statistically equally good solutions are found in scheme I, only one of these solutions with the quantum numbers of the P-c (4440) and P-c (4457) being J(P) = 3/2(-) and 1/2(-), respectively, survives the requirement of regulator independence once the OPE is included. Moreover, we predict the line shapes in the elastic and inelastic channels and demonstrate that those related to the P-c (4440) and the P-c (4457) in the Sigma(()(c)*())<(D)over ( )anf eta(c)p mass distributions from Lambda(0)(b) ->( )Sigma(()(c)*()) (D) over barK(-) and Lambda(0)(b) -> eta(c)pK(-) will shed light on the quantum numbers of those states, once the data are available. We also investigate possible pentaquark signals in the Lambda(c)(D) over bar (()*()) final states.