Speaker: Valerio De Luca

Primordial black holes are a fascinating family of black holes that may have formed in the early universe and are considered a potential candidate for the dark matter. After reviewing their formation mechanism within inflationary scenarios, we examine their evolution throughout cosmic history, including their assembly into binaries, accretion of surrounding baryonic matter, and their role in structure formation. Then, we explore their detectability via gravitational waves, by focusing on signals emitted both during their formation and from the merger of associated primordial binaries. Finally, we highlight potential smoking-gun signatures that could probe their existence in future gravitational wave observatories, such as the Einstein Telescope and LISA.