Bounds from primordial black holes with a near critical collapse initial mass function

Recent numerical evidence suggests that a mass spectrum of primordial black holes (PBHs) is produced as a consequence of near critical gravitational collapse. Assuming that these holes formed from the initial density perturbations seeded by inflation, we calculate model independent upper bounds on the mass variance at the reheating temperature by requiring that the mass density does not exceed the critical density and the photon emission does not exceed current diffuse gamma-ray measurements. We then translate these results into bounds on the spectral index {ital n} by utilizing the COBE data to normalize the mass variance at large scales, assuming a constant power law, and scale this result to the reheating temperature. We find that our bounds on {ital n} differ substantially ({delta}n{gt}0.05) from those calculated using initial mass functions derived under the assumption that the black hole mass is proportional to the horizon mass at the collapse epoch. We also find a change in the shape of the diffuse gamma-ray spectrum which results from the Hawking radiation. Finally, we study the impact of a nonzero cosmological constant and find that the bounds on {ital n} are strengthened considerably if the universe is indeed vacuum-energy dominated today. {copyright} {ital 1999} {ital The American Physical Society}