{
  "abstract": "We study spherical accretion onto primordial black holes (PBHs) embedded in the core of a solar-type star. We compute the radiative efficiency self-consistently for the first time across more than 6 decades in black hole mass (10 −16.5 –10 ⁻¹⁰ M ⊙ ) with time-dependent simulations, and follow the growth up to 10 ⁻² M ⊙ using an analytical photon-trapping prescription above 5 × 10 ⁻¹³ M ⊙ . Near the Schwarzschild radius ( r S ∼ 10 ⁻¹¹ cm for a 10 ⁻¹⁶ M ⊙ PBH), gas compressed to T ∼ 10 ¹¹ K radiates through microphysical processes that fundamentally alter the classical adiabatic Bondi solution. We solve the time-dependent spherical Euler equations with an implicit cooling source term, determining M ̇ , the Bondi-normalized radiative efficiency η = L / ( M ̇ B c 2 ) , and the flow structure self-consistently. We identify three regimes for spherical accretion: a hot Bondi regime ( M BH ≲ 10 ⁻¹⁴ M ⊙ ) in which bremsstrahlung cooling is dynamically negligible; a bremsstrahlung-cooling regime (10 ⁻¹⁴ –5 × 10 ⁻¹³ M ⊙ ) driving the flow toward isothermal with η ≈ 10 ⁻² ; and a photon-trapping regime above 5 × 10 ⁻¹³ M ⊙ , in which the Bondi sphere is optically thick and the accretion rate remains close to the Bondi value. Cooling enhances M ̇ by a factor of ∼1.5–7, keeping growth superexponential throughout the spherical regime. The radiative efficiency is an order of magnitude lower than previously assumed, and the critical initial PBH mass required to consume a solar-mass star within a Hubble time is M 0,crit ∼ 10 ⁻¹⁶ M ⊙ .",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Flatiron Institute",
    "Princeton University",
    "Massachusetts Institute of Technology",
    "New York University",
    "Stanford University"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 5,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Matteo Cantiello",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-8171-8596"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Ore Gottlieb",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-3115-2456"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Cameron Norton",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-4382-9885"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Matthew Kleban",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-1889-2487"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Ken Van Tilburg",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-7085-6128"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/e3degknac4rhy.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3847/1538-4357/aea0d2",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "e3degknac4rhy",
  "issns": [
    "0004-637X",
    "1538-4357"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/aea0d2",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "3103|Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7163405477",
  "pdf_url": "https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/aea0d2/pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-15",
  "publisher": "American Astronomical Society",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/e3degknac4rhy.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:18:11Z",
      "native_id": "10.3847/1538-4357/aea0d2",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/aea0d2"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "astronomy",
      "origin": "journal-openalex:3103|Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies",
      "subfield": "stellar"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Accretion of Primordial Black Holes in Stellar Interiors",
  "title_text": "Accretion of Primordial Black Holes in Stellar Interiors",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:18:11Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/e3degknac4rhy",
  "venue": "The Astrophysical Journal",
  "versions": []
}