Related papers: Lucky Strikes: On the Origins of GW190814 Through …
The isolated binary evolution model for merging neutron stars (NSs) involves processes such as mass transfer, common-envelope evolution, and natal kicks, all of which are poorly understood. Also, the predicted NS-NS merger rates are…
In massive binary-star systems, supernova explosions can significantly alter the orbit during the formation of compact objects. Some compact objects are predicted to form via direct collapse, a scenario with negligible mass loss and no…
As the number of gravitational-wave detections of black hole binaries grows, so does the diversity of proposed formation channels. The growing sample of systems with highly unequal masses, such as GW190814 with $m_1=23.2\,M_{\odot}$ and…
The origin of ultra-wide massive binaries (orbital separations $10^3-2\times 10^5$~AU) and their properties are not well characterized nor understood. Here we use the second Gaia data release to search for wide astrometric companions to…
LIGO and Virgo have reported the detection of GW190521, from the merger of a binary black hole (BBH) with a total mass around $150$ M$_\odot$. While current stellar models limit the mass of any black hole (BH) remnant to about $40 - 50$…
The construction of accurate and consistent initial data for various binary parameters is a critical ingredient for numerical relativity simulations of the compact binary coalescence. In this article, we present an upgrade of the…
GW231123 is a merger of two black holes (BHs) with estimated masses exceeding $100\;{\rm M}_{\odot}$, making them the most massive BHs discovered to date via gravitational wave (GW) observations. We investigate whether GW231123-like events…
The low-mass X-ray binary (LMXB) GX 1+4 stands out with its unique properties. Despite being an old system, it hosts a strongly magnetized neutron star (NS), a trait usually linked to younger systems. Its exceptionally long orbital period…
We postulate that most stars are born in aggregates of binary systems which are dynamically equivalent to the `dominant mode cluster'. The initial binary orbits are consitent with pre-main sequence data. Stellar masses are paired at random…
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…
Compact binaries such as double neutron stars or a neutron star paired with a black-hole, are strong sources of gravitational waves during coalescence and also the likely progenitors of various electromagnetic phenomena, notably…
The LIGO-Virgo collaboration recently reported the properties of GW190412, a binary black hole merger with unequal component masses (mass ratio $0.25^{+0.06}_{-0.04}$ when using the EOBNR PHM approximant) and a non-vanishing effective spin…
Binary population synthesis is the method by which predictions of varied observables of stellar populations can be made from theoretical models of binary stellar evolution. Binary stars have many more possible evolutionary outcomes compared…
The first direct detections of gravitational waves from merging binary black holes open a unique window into the binary black hole formation environment. One promising environmental signature is the angular distribution of the black hole…
The LIGO/Virgo Collaboration (LVC) recently reported the detection of GW190814, a merger of a $23^{+1.0}_{-0.9}~M_{\odot}$ primary black hole (BH), and a $2.6^{+0.08}_{-0.08}~M_{\odot}$ secondary. The secondary's mass falls into the…
Supernovae, the explosive deaths of massive stars, create heavy elements and form black holes and neutron stars. These compact objects often receive a velocity at formation, a "kick" whose physical origin remains debated. We investigate…
The discovery of a kilonova associated with the GW170817 binary neutron star merger had far-reaching implications for our understanding of several open questions in physics and astrophysics. Unfortunately, since then, only one robust binary…
Observations of increasingly higher spatial resolution reveal the existence of asymmetries in the circumstellar envelopes of a small fraction of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars. Although there is no general consensus for their origin, a…
The formation and evolution of binary stars is a critical component of several fields in astronomy. The most numerous sources for gravitational wave observatories are inspiraling and/or merging compact binaries, while binary stars are…
One promising way to extract information about stellar astrophysics from gravitational wave catalogs is to compare the catalog to the outputs of stellar population synthesis modeling with varying physical assumptions. The parameter space of…