REVIEW 5 cited by
Not yet reviewed by Pith; the record is open.
This paper has not been read by Pith yet. Machine review is queued; the pith claim, tier, and objections will appear here once it completes.
SPECIMEN: schema-true, not a live event
T0 review · schema-true
One-sentence machine reading of the paper's core claim.
pith:XXXXXXXX · record.json · timestamp
No evidence that the binary black hole mass distribution evolves with redshift
read the original abstract
The mass distribution of merging binary black holes is generically predicted to evolve with redshift, reflecting systematic changes in their astrophysical environment, stellar progenitors, and/or dominant formation channels over cosmic time. Whether or not such an effect is observed in gravitational-wave data, however, remains an open question, with some contradictory results present in the literature. In this paper, we study the ensemble of binary black holes within the latest GWTC-3 catalog released by the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA Collaboration, systematically surveying for possible evolution of their mass distribution with redshift. We specifically focus on two key features present in the binary black hole primary mass distribution -- (1) an excess of $35\,M_\odot$ black holes and (2) a broad power-law continuum ranging from 10 to $\gtrsim 80 M_\odot$ -- and ask if one or both of these features are observed to vary with redshift. We find no evidence that either the Gaussian peak or power-law continuum components of the mass distribution change with redshift. In some cases, we place somewhat stringent bounds on the degree of allowed redshift evolution. Most notably, we find that the mean location of the $35\,M_\odot$ peak and the slope of the power-law continuum are constrained to remain approximately constant below redshift $z\approx 1$. The data remain more agnostic about other forms of redshift dependence, such as evolution in the height of the $35\,M_\odot$ excess or the minimum and maximum black hole masses. In all cases, we conclude that a redshift-dependent mass spectrum remains possible, but that it is not required by current data.
Forward citations
Cited by 5 Pith papers
-
Radio sirens: inferring $H_0$ with binary black holes and neutral hydrogen in the era of the Einstein Telescope and the SKA Observatory
Using simulated binary black hole mergers and neutral hydrogen maps, the radio sirens method constrains H0 to 8% precision with 3000 high-SNR events, offering a 90% improvement over standard dark siren analyses.
-
Targeting black holes from metal-poor progenitors with next-generation gravitational-wave detectors
Introduces a target redshift z_t to isolate metal-poor black hole progenitors and a statistical framework to test merger-rate variations against forecasts from Einstein Telescope and Cosmic Explorer.
-
Gravitational-wave constraints on $H_0$ are robust to (putative) redshift evolution in the binary black hole mass spectrum at current sensitivity
Spectral-siren H0 constraints from GWTC-4.0 binary black holes remain robust when the mass spectrum is permitted to evolve with redshift at current detector sensitivity.
-
Emergent structure in the binary black hole mass distribution and implications for population-based cosmology
B-spline agnostic reconstruction of binary black hole masses from GWTC-4.0 reveals multiple features and a logarithmic hierarchy that impacts Hubble constant measurements, with a low-mass subpopulation isolation metho...
-
GWTC-5.0: Constraints on the Cosmic Expansion Rate and Modified Gravitational-wave Propagation
Analysis of 236 GW events from GWTC-5.0 constrains H0 to 71.0 +9.0/-7.1 km/s/Mpc and finds no evidence for modified gravitational-wave propagation.
discussion (0)
Sign in with ORCID, Apple, or X to comment. Anyone can read and Pith papers without signing in.