Related papers: Modified Gravity and the Black Hole Mass Gap
Studying how the black hole (BH) - (galaxy) bulge mass relation evolves with redshift provides valuable insights into the co-evolution of supermassive black holes and their host galaxies. However, obtaining accurate measurement of BH masses…
The acceleration of the cosmic expansion may be due to a new component of physical energy density or a modification of physics itself. Mapping the expansion of cosmic scales and the growth of large scale structure in tandem can provide…
The field equations for Scalar-Tensor-Vector-Gravity (STVG) or modified gravity (MOG) have a static, spherically symmetric black hole solution determined by the mass $M$ with two horizons. The strength of the gravitational constant is…
The heaviest black holes discovered through gravitational waves have masses that are difficult to explain with current standard stellar models. This discrepancy may be due to a series of hierarchical mergers, where the observed black holes…
Supermassive black holes appear to be uniquely associated with galactic bulges. The mean ratio of black hole mass to bulge mass was until recently very uncertain, with ground based, stellar kinematical data giving a value roughly an order…
The detection of the binary black hole merger GW190521, with primary black hole mass $85^{+21}_{-14}$ ${\rm M}_{\odot}$, proved the existence of black holes in the theoretically predicted pair-instability gap ($\sim60-120 \, {\rm…
Here we apply the Generalized Second Law of Thermodynamics (GSL) to black holes accreting and emitting in the present Universe and derive upper limits on the variation in the gravitational constant G. The limits depend on how the…
Massive black holes (MBHs), with masses in the range 10^3-10^8 Msolar, which merge with a companion black hole of similar mass are expected to be the most powerful source of gravitational radiation in the frequency range probed by LISA. MBH…
Stellar evolution theory predicts a "gap" in the black hole birth function caused by the pair instability. Presupernova stars that have a core mass below some limiting value, Mlo, after all pulsational activity is finished, collapse to…
Binary black holes (BBHs) born from the evolution of Population III (Pop. III) stars are one of the main high-redshift targets for next-generation ground-based gravitational-wave (GW) detectors. Their predicted initial mass function and…
The recent detection of GW190521 stimulated ideas on how to populate the predicted black hole pair-instability mass gap. One proposed scenario is the dynamical merger of two stars below the pair instability regime forming a star with a…
The observed scaling relations between supermassive black hole masses and their host galaxy properties indicate that supermassive black holes influence the evolution of galaxies. However, the scaling relations may be affected by selection…
The lack of objects between $2\,M_{\odot}$ and $5\,M_{\odot}$ in the joint mass distribution of compact objects has been termed "mass gap", and attributed mainly to the characteristics of the supernova mechanism precluding their birth.…
Gravitational-wave detections have revealed a previously unknown population of stellar mass black holes with masses above $20\, M_{\odot}$. These observations provide a new way to test models of stellar evolution for massive stars. By…
The discoveries of a number of binary black hole mergers by LIGO and VIRGO has reinvigorated the interest that primordial black holes (PBHs) of tens of solar masses could contribute non-negligibly to the dark matter energy density. Should…
Emergent modified gravity provides a covariant framework for holonomy effects in models of loop quantum gravity with consistent black hole solutions coupled to a scalar field. Several independent studies of the Hawking thermal distribution…
Models of modified gravity introduce extra degrees of freedom, which for consistency with the data, should be suppressed at observable scales. In the models that share properties of massive gravity such a suppression is due to nonlinear…
We examine the accretion of matter onto a black hole in scalar--tensor--vector gravity (STVG) also known as modified gravity (MOG). The gravitational constant is $G=G_{N} (1 + \alpha)$ where $\alpha$ is a parameter taken to be constant for…
The origin of matter domination in the Universe is one of the most exciting open puzzles in particle physics and cosmology. Despite many theoretical developments, the actual reason behind baryon-antibaryon asymmetry is still unknown. Our…
The discovery of cosmic acceleration has stimulated theorists to consider dark energy or modifications to Einstein's General Relativity as possible explanations. The last decade has seen advances in theories that go beyond smooth dark…