ASTROPHYSICAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE BINARY BLACK HOLE MERGER GW150914
California Institute of Technology · Louisiana State University · +141 more institutions
Abstract
ABSTRACT The discovery of the gravitational-wave (GW) source GW150914 with the Advanced LIGO detectors provides the first observational evidence for the existence of binary black hole (BH) systems that inspiral and merge within the age of the universe. Such BH mergers have been predicted in two main types of formation models, involving isolated binaries in galactic fields or dynamical interactions in young and old dense stellar environments. The measured masses robustly demonstrate that relatively “heavy” BHs ( ) can form in nature. This discovery implies relatively weak massive-star winds and thus the formation of GW150914 in an environment with a metallicity lower than about 1/2 of the solar value. The rate…
Citation impact
- FWCI
- 94.78
- Percentile
- 100%
- References
- 157
Authors
963Topics & keywords
- Physics
- Astrophysics
- LIGO
- Binary black hole
- Black hole (networking)
- Gravitational wave
- Stellar black hole
- Astronomy
Funding
- NSNational Science Foundation
- KFKavli Foundation
- IDInstitut des Origines de Lyon
- LTLeverhulme Trust
- RSRoyal Society
- SFScottish Funding Council
- SUScottish Universities Physics AllianceAward: GEO600
- ECEuropean Commission
- NRNational Research Foundation
- COCouncil of Scientific and Industrial Research, India
- ICIndustry Canada
- NONederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek
- MDMinisterio de Economía y Competitividad
- NRNational Research Foundation of Korea
- MOMinistry of Education, India
- CNCentre National de la Recherche Scientifique
- MDMinistero dello Sviluppo Economico
- INIstituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare
- GDGovern de les Illes Balears
- SAScience and Technology Facilities CouncilAwards: ST/I006242/1, ST/N000064/1, ST/K005014/1, ST/L000946/1, ST/I006269/1, ST/L003465/1, Gravitational Waves, ST/I006285/1, ST/N000633/1, ST/G504284/1, ST/N00003X/1, ST/L000962/1, ST/K000845/1, ST/N005716/1, ST/L000938/1, ST/J000019/1, ST/J00166X/1, ST/N000072/1, ST/N000080/1, ST/M000931/1, ST/M006735/1, ST/N005430/1
- ARAustralian Research Council
- SAScience and Engineering Research Board
- DODivision of Human Resource Development