Related papers: Constraining Compact Object Formation with 2M0521
GW190521 is the first confident observation of a binary black hole merger with total mass $M > 100\,\mathrm{M}_{\odot}$. Given the lack of observational constraints at these masses, we analyze GW190521 considering two different priors for…
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 Msun and 66 Msun (GW190521). Motivated by recent observations of massive stars in the 30…
We review the formation and evolution of compact binary stars consisting of white dwarfs (WDs), neutron stars (NSs), and black holes (BHs). Binary NSs and BHs are thought to be the primary astrophysical sources of gravitational waves (GWs)…
The complex astrophysical processes leading to the formation of binary black holes and their eventual merger are imprinted on the spins of the individual black holes. We revisit the astrophysical distribution of those spins based on…
Future searches for gravitational waves from space will be sensitive to double compact objects (DCOs) in our Milky Way. We present new simulations of the populations of double black holes (BHBHs), black hole neutron stars (BHNSs) and double…
The recent discovery of GW150914, the binary black hole merger detected by Advanced LIGO, has the potential to revolutionize observational astrophysics. But to fully utilize this new window into the universe, we must compare these new…
Observations of gravitational waves (GWs) from merging compact binaries have become a regular occurrence. The continued advancement of the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA (LVK) Collaboration detectors have now produced a catalog of over 90 such mergers,…
We conduct a population synthesis study using the binary population synthesis code compas to explore the formation of circumbinary disks (CBDs) following the common envelope evolution (CEE) phase of a giant star and a neutron star (NS) or…
Binary black hole (BBH) systems residing in the centers of galaxies evolve within complex astrophysical environments. These environments, comprising dark matter (DM) halos and baryonic accretion disks, can significantly alter the orbital…
A significant number of stellar-mass black-hole (BH) binaries may merge in galactic nuclei or in the surrounding gas disks. With purposed space-borne gravitational-wave observatories, we may use such a binary as a signal carrier to probe…
During the fourth observing run, the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA Collaboration reported the detection of a coalescing compact binary (GW230529$_{-}$181500) with component masses estimated at $2.5-4.5\, M_\odot$ and $1.2-2.0\, M_\odot$ with 90\%…
The capture and disruption of stars by supermassive black holes (SMBHs), and the formation and coalescence of binaries, are inevitable consequences of the presence of SMBHs at the cores of galaxies. Pairs of active galactic nuclei (AGN) and…
This review summarizes the observational constraints on the mass spectrum of compact objects in X-ray binaries. We currently have 20 X-ray binaries with confirmed black holes, based on dynamical information (i.e. mass in excess of 3 Msun).…
Star evolution models predict the lightest compact objects in the universe to have masses greater than that of the Sun. Nonetheless, alternative scenarios could lead to the formation of sub-solar mass (SSM) compact objects, such as…
The Gaia experiment recently reported the observation of a binary system composed of a Sun-like star orbiting a dark compact object, known as Gaia BH1. The nature of the compact object remains uncertain. While the Gaia mission identifies it…
Microlensing is one of the most promising tools for discovering stellar-mass black holes (BHs) in the Milky Way because it allows us to probe dark or faint celestial compact objects. While the existence of stellar-mass BHs has been…
The LIGO/Virgo gravitational-wave (GW) interferometers have to-date detected ten merging black hole (BH) binaries, some with masses considerably larger than had been anticipated. Stellar-mass BH binaries at the high end of the observed mass…
The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) will detect ~ 100 galactic binary systems comprised of black holes (BHs) and neutron stars (NSs). Identifying the nature of the constituents of these binaries as BHs or NSs, and distinguishing…
The dynamical formation channels of gravitational wave (GW) sources typically involve a stage when the compact object binary source interacts with the environment, which may excite its eccentricity, yielding efficient GW emission. For the…
Little observational data are available on the weak stellar winds of hot subdwarf stars of B spectral type (sdB). Close binary systems composed of an sdB star and a compact object (white dwarf, neutron star or black hole) could be detected…