Related papers: Constraints on Core Collapse from the Black Hole M…
Recent gravitational wave observations include possible detections of black hole - neutron star binary mergers. As with binary black hole mergers, numerical simulations help characterize the sources. For binary systems with neutron star…
I describe the current state of our knowledge of the mapping between the initial masses of stars and the compact objects -- particularly neutron stars and black holes -- that they produce. Most of that knowledge is theoretical in nature,…
Simulations in general relativity show that the outcome of collapse of a marginally unstable, uniformly rotating star spinning at the mass-shedding limit depends critically on the equation of state. For a very stiff equation of state, which…
We perform new general relativistic hydrodynamics simulations for collapses of rotating supermassive star cores with an approximate nuclear burning up to carbon and a detailed equation of state. For all the models we investigate, the energy…
While the connection between massive stars and supernova explosions is well established observationally, the link between massive stars and black hole formation remains elusive. Some massive stars may collapse directly to black holes…
We describe a mechanism by which supermassive black holes can form directly in the nuclei of protogalaxies, without the need for seed black holes left over from early star formation. Self-gravitating gas in dark matter halos can lose…
The existence of black holes (BHs) of mass ~ 10^{9} M_sun at z > 6 is a big puzzle in astrophysics because even optimistic estimates of the accretion time are insufficient for stellar mass BHs of ~ 10 M_sun to grow into such supermassive…
We investigate the effects of black hole mergers in star clusters on the black hole mass function. As black holes are not produced in pair-instability supernovae, it is suggested that there is a dearth of high mass stellar black holes. This…
The gravothermal core collapse of self-interacting dark matter halos provides a compelling mechanism for seeding supermassive black holes in the early Universe. In this scenario, a small fraction of a halo, approximately $1\%$ of its mass,…
The existence of compact stellar remnants in the mass range $2-5\,M_{\odot}$ has long been debated. This so-called lower mass gap was initially suggested by the lack of low-mass X-ray binary observations with accretors about…
Supermassive black holes are a key ingredient of galaxy evolution. However, their origin is still highly debated. In one of the leading formation scenarios, a black hole of $\sim100$ M$_{\odot}$ results from the collapse of the inner core…
Growing evidence suggests that the first generation of stars may have been quite massive (~100-300 M_sun). Could these stars have left a distinct nucleosynthetic signature? We explore the nucleosynthesis of helium cores in the mass range…
Recent detailed 1D core-collapse simulations have brought new insights on the final fate of massive stars, which are in contrast to commonly used parametric prescriptions. In this work, we explore the implications of these results to the…
The time evolution of a set of 22 Mo unstable charged stars that collapse is computed integrating the Einstein-Maxwell equations. The model simulate the collapse of an spherical star that had exhausted its nuclear fuel and have or acquires…
Several thin, Keplerian, sub-parsec megamaser disks have been discovered in the nuclei of active galaxies and used to precisely determine the mass of their host black holes. We show that there is an empirical linear correlation between the…
The discrepancy in the past years of many more black-hole soft X-ray transients (SXTs), of which a dozen have now been identified, had challenged accepted wisdom in black hole evolution. The sheer number of inferred SXTs requires that many,…
Light curves, explosion energies, and remnant masses are calculated for a grid of supernovae resulting from massive helium stars that have been evolved including mass loss. These presupernova stars should approximate the results of binary…
Both theoretical models and observational evidence indicate that jets and/or outflows driven by central active supermassive black holes exert a significant feedback effect on the overall properties of their host galaxies. Theoretical models…
During a failed core-collapse supernova, the protoneutron star eventually collapses under its own gravitational field and forms a black hole. This collapse happens quickly, on the dynamical time of the protoneutron star, $\lesssim$0.5 ms.…
The existence of quasars at redshift z > 5 indicates that supermassive black holes were present since the very early times. If they grew by accretion, the seeds of mass ~ 10^5 Msun must have formed at z ~ 9. These seed black holes may…