Related papers: Viewpoint: The First Sounds of Merging Black Holes
On 2023 November 23 the two LIGO observatories both detected GW231123, a gravitational-wave signal consistent with the merger of two black holes with masses $137^{+23}_{-18}\, M_\odot$ and $101^{+22}_{-50}\, M_\odot$ (90\% credible…
This is a summary of an invited talk given at the Moriond Gravitation meeting on March 31, 2025. I touch on some of the practical challenges of measuring the mass spectrum of merging binary black holes through their gravitational-wave…
The first LIGO-Virgo detections have confirmed the existence of massive black holes (BHs), with mass $30-40$ M$_\odot$. Such BHs might originate from massive metal-poor stars ($Z<0.3$ Z$_\odot$) or from gravitational instabilities in the…
We calculate the evolution of the prompt intrinsic Poynting power generated by merging black holes. Orbiting black holes induce rotation of the space-time. In a presence of magnetic field supported by an accretion disk outside of the orbit,…
Gravitational waves can teach us not only about sources and the environment where they were generated, but also about the gravitational interaction itself. Here we study the features of gravitational radiation produced during the scattering…
Ground-based gravitational-wave detectors like the Advanced LIGO, Advanced Virgo, and KAGRA experiments now regularly witness gravitational waves from compact binary mergers: the relativistic collisions of neutron stars and/or stellar-mass…
We present the first results in a new program intended to make the best use of all available technologies to provide an effective understanding of waves from inspiralling black hole binaries in time for imminent observations. In particular,…
Gravitational waves from merging binary black holes present exciting opportunities for understanding fundamental aspects of gravity, including nonlinearities in the strong-field regime. One challenge in studying and interpreting the…
The discovery of gravitational waves by the international collaboration LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory)/Virgo on the one hand is a triumphant confirmation of the general theory of relativity, and on the other…
The recent detection of the gravitational wave source GW150914 by the LIGO collaboration motivates a speculative source for the origin of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays as a possible byproduct of the immense energies achieved in black hole…
There has been a striking realization that physics resolving the black hole information paradox could imply postmerger gravitational wave echoes. We here report on evidence for echoes from the LIGO compact binary merger events, GW151226,…
How many gravitational-wave observations from double compact object mergers have we seen to date? This seemingly simple question surprisingly yields a somewhat ambiguous answer that depends on the chosen data-analysis pipeline, detection…
Perturbations around black holes have been an intriguing topic in the last few decades. They are particularly important today, since they relate to the gravitational wave observations which may provide the unique fingerprint of black holes'…
We present a study of the gravitational waveforms from a series of spinning, equal-mass black hole binaries focusing on the harmonic content of the waves and the contribution of the individual harmonics to the signal-to-noise ratio. The…
We present here an overview of recent work in the subject of astrophysical manifestations of super-massive black hole (SMBH) mergers. This is a field that has been traditionally driven by theoretical work, but in recent years has also…
Black holes can be electromagnetically charged, or carry vector charge from new fundamental fields. Their response to small fluctuations is of paramount importance to study gravitational wave generation. However, the usual even and odd…
Advanced LIGO detectors at Hanford and Livingston made two confirmed and one marginal detection of binary black holes during their first observing run. The first event, GW150914, was from the merger of two black holes much heavier that…
A rich galaxy cluster showing strong resemblance with the observed ones is simulated. Cold dark matter spectrum, Gaussian statistics, flat universe, and two components -- baryonic gas plus dark matter particles -- are considered. We have…
The hierarchical scenario of structure formation describes how objects like galaxies and galaxy clusters are formed by mergers of small objects. In this scenario, mergers of galaxies can lead to the formation of massive black hole (MBH)…
The recent detection of the binary black hole merger GW150914 demonstrates the existence of black holes more massive than previously observed in X-ray binaries in our Galaxy. This article explores different scenarios of black hole formation…