Constraints from gravitational wave detections of binary black hole mergers on the $^{12}\rm{C}\left(α,γ\right)^{16}\!\rm{O}$ rate

Farmer, Robert; Renzo, Mathieu; de Mink, Selma; Fishbach, Maya; Justham, Stephen

doi:10.48550/arxiv.2006.06678

Cited by 22 publications

(54 citation statements)

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“…It is necessary to consider this hierarchical merger channel when using catalogs of GW sources to make inferences about the physics of black hole formation. For example, inference of the location of the lower edge of the pair-instability mass gap, which could potentially constrain nuclear reaction rates (Farmer et al 2020) or beyond Standard Model physics (Croon et al 2020;Straight et al 2020), using detections of black holes in the 50M regime would be contaminated by the presence of 2G black holes. In order to distinguish between 1G and 2G black holes, we must account simultaneously for the shapes of 1G and 2G populations and the relative frequencies of hierarchical mergers.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Amongst the GWTC-2 systems there are highmass BBHs which have components with masses of 45M (Abbott et al 2020a), the most massive being the source of GW190521 (Abbott et al 2020c). Black holes of ∼ 45-135M are not typically expected to form via standard stellar evolution as the pair-instability process either limits the maximum mass of the progenitor star's core or completely disrupts the star entirely (Fryer et al 2001;Heger & Woosley 2002;Belczynski et al 2016;Spera & Mapelli 2017;Stevenson et al 2019;Farmer et al 2019Farmer et al , 2020. Potential (non-mutually exclusive) formation mechanisms for black holes in this mass gap include hierarchical mergers, where the remnant of a previous merger becomes part of a new binary (Miller & Hamilton 2002;Antonini & Rasio 2016;Rodriguez et al 2019;Yang et al 2019;Banerjee 2020;Fragione & Silk 2020;Mapelli et al 2020a;Anagnostou et al 2020); stellar mergers, which may result in a larger hydrogen envelope around a core below the pairinstability threshold (Spera et al 2018;Di Carlo et al 2019;Kremer et al 2020); formation of black holes from Population III stars which are able to retain their hydrogen envelopes (Farrell et al 2020;Kinugawa et al 2020;Vink et al 2020), formation via stellar triples in the field (Vigna-Gómez et al 2020), or growth via accretion in an active galactic nucleus (AGN) disk (McKernan et al 2012;Secunda et al 2020;Tagawa et al 2020;Tiwari & Fairhurst 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Evidence for hierarchical black hole mergers in the second LIGO--Virgo gravitational-wave catalog

Kimball,

Talbot,

Berry

et al. 2020

Preprint

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We study the population properties of merging binary black holes in the second LIGO-Virgo Gravitational-Wave Transient Catalog, assuming they are all forming dynamically in gravitationally bound clusters. Using a phenomenological population model, we infer the mass and spin distribution of first-generation black holes, while searching for hierarchical mergers. Considering a range of cluster masses, we see compelling evidence for hierarchical mergers for clusters with escape velocities 100 km s −1 . For our highest-likelihood cluster mass, we find that at least one catalog binary contains a second-generation black hole with > 99.99% probability, the hierarchical model is preferred over an alternative model with no hierarchical mergers (Bayes factor B = 25000), GW190521 is favored to contain two second-generation black holes with odds O > 700, and GW190517, GW190519, GW190602, GW190620, and GW190706 are mixed-generation binaries with O > 10. However, results depend strongly on the cluster escape velocity, with more modest evidence for hierarchical mergers when the escape velocity is 100 km s −1 . Assuming all binary black holes are formed dynamically in globular clusters with escape velocities on the order of tens of km s −1 , GW190519 is favored to include a second-generation black hole with odds O > 1. In this case, we find that 99% of black holes from the inferred total population are less than 48M , and that this constraint is robust under our choice of prior on the maximum black hole mass.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence for hierarchical black hole mergers in the second LIGO--Virgo gravitational-wave catalog

Kimball,

Talbot,

Berry

et al. 2020

Preprint

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“…If such massive stars exist, this would result in a population of BHs "above the gap" with masses 120M . 38,39 Farmer et al 40,41 found that pair instability creates a mass gap in the BH mass spectrum starting at m 45M . This threshold was found to be a relatively solid prediction given the current understanding of stellar evolution.…”

Section: Masses: Populating the Pair-instability Mass Gapmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hierarchical mergers of stellar-mass black holes and their gravitational-wave signatures

Gerosa,

Fishbach

2021

Preprint

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We review theoretical findings, astrophysical modeling, and current gravitational-wave evidence of hierarchical stellar-mass black-hole mergers. While most of the compact binary mergers detected by LIGO and Virgo are expected to consist of firstgeneration black holes formed from the collapse of stars, others might instead be of second (or higher) generation, containing the remnants of previous black-hole mergers. Such a subpopulation of hierarchically assembled black holes presents distinctive gravitational-wave signatures, namely higher masses, possibly within the pair-instability mass gap, and dimensionless spins clustered at the characteristic value of ∼ 0.7. In order to produce hierarchical mergers, astrophysical environments need to overcome the relativistic recoils imparted to black-hole merger remnants, a condition which prefers hosts with escape speeds 100 km/s. Promising locations for efficient production of hierarchical mergers include nuclear star clusters and accretion disks surrounding active galactic nuclei, though environments that are less efficient at retaining merger products such as globular clusters may still contribute significantly to the detectable population of repeated mergers. While GW190521 is the single most promising hierarchical-merger candidate to date, constraints coming from large population analyses are becoming increasingly more powerful.

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“…These updates on position of lower edge of the upper mass gap were the result of detailed considerations of stellar evolution processes (e.g., rotation, mixing, convection) that allow some stars to avoid the PPSN/PSN. Finally, it was shown that for low metallicity stars (Z = 10 −5 ), the uncertainties in the reaction rate of carbon burning can potentially shift the onset of the BH upper mass gap up to 90 M (Farmer et al 2020). This reaction rate concerns one of the most uncertain reactions used in stellar evolution and yet it plays really important role in astrophysics (deBoer et al 2017;Takahashi 2018;Holt et al 2019;Sukhbold & Adams 2020).…”

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confidence: 99%

The Most Ordinary Formation of the Most Unusual Double Black Hole Merger

Belczyński

2020

ApJL

103

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LIGO/Virgo Collaboration reported the detection of the most massive black hole -black hole (BH-BH) merger up to date with component masses of 85 M and 66 M (GW190521). Motivated by recent observations of massive stars in the 30 Doradus cluster in the Large Magellanic Cloud (M 200 M ; e.g. R136a) and employing newly estimated uncertainties on pulsational pair-instability mass-loss (that allow for possibility of forming BHs with mass up to M BH ∼ 90 M ) we show that it is trivial to form such massive BH-BH mergers through the classical isolated binary evolution (with no assistance from either dynamical interactions or exotica). A binary consisting of two massive (180 M + 150 M ) Population II stars (metallicity: Z ≈ 0.0001) evolves through a stable Roche lobe overflow and common envelope episode. Both exposed stellar cores undergo direct core-collapse and form massive BHs while avoiding pair-instability pulsation mass-loss or total disruption. LIGO/Virgo observations show that the merger rate density of light BH-BH mergers (both components: M BH < 50 M ) is of the order of 10 − 100 Gpc −3 yr −1 , while GW190521 indicates that the rate of heavier mergers is 0.02 − 0.43 Gpc −3 yr −1 . Our model (with standard assumptions about input physics) but extended to include 200 M stars and allowing for the possibility of stellar cores collapsing to 90 M BHs produces the following rates: 63 Gpc −3 yr −1 for light BH-BH mergers and 0.04 Gpc −3 yr −1 for heavy BH-BH mergers. We do not claim that GW190521 was formed by an isolated binary, but it appears that such a possibility can not be excluded.

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Constraints from gravitational wave detections of binary black hole mergers on the $^{12}\rm{C}\left(α,γ\right)^{16}\!\rm{O}$ rate

Cited by 22 publications

References 126 publications

Evidence for hierarchical black hole mergers in the second LIGO--Virgo gravitational-wave catalog

Evidence for hierarchical black hole mergers in the second LIGO--Virgo gravitational-wave catalog

Hierarchical mergers of stellar-mass black holes and their gravitational-wave signatures

The Most Ordinary Formation of the Most Unusual Double Black Hole Merger

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