The Cosmic Evolution of Binary Black Holes in Young, Globular and Nuclear Star Clusters: Rates, Masses, Spins and Mixing Fractions
Reviewed by Pith T0 review T1 audit T2 compute T3 formal T4 kernel pith:MPAO32QVrecord.jsonopen to challenge →
read the original abstract
The growing population of binary black holes (BBHs) observed by gravitational wave detectors is a potential Rosetta stone for understanding their formation channels. Here, we use an upgraded version of our semi-analytic codes {\sc fastcluster} and {\sc cosmo$\mathcal{R}$ate} to investigate the cosmic evolution of four different BBH populations: isolated BBHs and dynamically formed BBHs in nuclear star clusters (NSCs), globular clusters (GCs), and young star clusters (YSCs). With our approach, we can study different channels assuming the same stellar and binary input physics. We find that the merger rate density of BBHs in GCs and NSCs is barely affected by stellar metallicity ($Z$), while the rate of isolated BBHs changes wildly with $Z$. BBHs in YSCs behave in an intermediate way between isolated and GC/NSC BBHs. The local merger rate density of Nth-generation black holes (BHs), obtained by summing up hierarchical mergers in GCs, NSCs and YSCs, ranges from $\sim{1}$ to $\sim{4}$ Gpc$^{-3}$ yr$^{-1}$ and is mostly sensitive to the spin parameter. We find that the mass function of primary BHs evolves with redshift in GCs and NSCs, becoming more top-heavy at higher $z$. In contrast, the primary BH mass function almost does not change with redshift in YSCs and in the field. This signature of the BH mass function has relevant implications for Einstein Telescope and Cosmic Explorer. Finally, our analysis suggests that multiple channels contribute to the BBH population of the second gravitational-wave transient catalog.
This paper has not been read by Pith yet.
Forward citations
Cited by 7 Pith papers
-
How lonely are the Binary Compact Objects Detected by the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA Collaboration?
No three-body encounter signatures detected in GW170817, GW190814, and GW230627_015337, constraining intermediate-mass black holes above 100 solar masses within roughly 0.1 AU of these binaries.
-
Comparing astrophysical models to gravitational-wave data in the observable space
Demonstrates direct comparison of observable compact-binary populations from GW data to astrophysical models, with unbiased inference shown possible and applied to O3 data.
-
Constraints on Line-of-Sight Acceleration from O1-O4
All known compact binary mergers show line-of-sight accelerations consistent with zero under a new time-domain Doppler-shift model, with current detectors only sensitive to high-acceleration scenarios.
-
Evidence for eccentricity in the population of binary black holes observed by LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA
Bayesian inference on LVK O1-O3 events with eccentric aligned-spin waveforms yields log10 Bayes factors of 1.77-4.75 favoring eccentricity for GW200129, GW190701 and GW200208_22, and >99.5% probability that at least o...
-
A Possible Triple Formation Scenario of Binary Black Hole Merge With One In Pair-instability Supernova Mass Gap
An isolated hierarchical triple channel with chemically homogeneous evolution and triple common envelope can produce PISN mass-gap BBH mergers matching GW190706 at ~22% of the observed rate.
-
Line-of-sight acceleration in compact binaries with higher harmonics and eccentricity
Implements consistent line-of-sight acceleration corrections in quasi-circular and eccentric GW waveform models, applies them to GWTC-3 events, and reports no substantial evidence for acceleration while warning of bia...
-
Science with the Einstein Telescope: a comparison of different designs
The paper evaluates how triangular versus two-L-shaped geometries, arm lengths, and presence of low-frequency instruments affect the science reach of the Einstein Telescope for compact binaries, multi-messenger events...
discussion (0)
Sign in with ORCID, Apple, or X to comment. Anyone can read and Pith papers without signing in.