Evolutionary roads leading to low effective spins, high black hole masses, and O1/O2 rates for LIGO/Virgo binary black holes
Year: 2020
Type: article
Abstract: All ten LIGO/Virgo binary black hole (BH-BH) coalescences reported following the O1/O2 runs have near-zero effective spins. There are only three potential explanations for this. If the BH spin magnitudes are large, then: (i) either both BH spin vectors must be nearly in the orbital plane or (ii) the spin angular momenta of the BHs must be oppositely directed and similar in magnitude. Then there is also the possibility that (iii) the BH spin magnitudes are small. We consider the third hypothesis within the framework of the classical isolated binary evolution scenario of the BH-BH merger formation. We test three models of angular momentum transport in massive stars: a mildly efficient transport by meridional currents (as employed in the Geneva code), an efficient transport by the Tayler-Spruit magnetic dynamo (as implemented in the MESA code), and a very-efficient transport (as proposed by Fuller et al.) to calculate natal BH spins. We allow for binary evolution to increase the BH spins through accretion and account for the potential spin-up of stars through tidal interactions. Additionally, we update the calculations of the stellar-origin BH masses, including revisions to the history of star formation and to the chemical evolution across cosmic time. We find that we can simultaneously match the observed BH-BH merger rate density and BH masses and BH-BH effective spins. Models with efficient angular momentum transport are favored. The updated stellar-mass weighted gas-phase metallicity evolution now used in our models appears to be key for obtaining an improved reproduction of the LIGO/Virgo merger rate estimate. Mass losses during the pair-instability pulsation supernova phase are likely to be overestimated if the merger GW170729 hosts a BH more massive than 50 M ⊙ . We also estimate rates of black hole-neutron star (BH-NS) mergers from recent LIGO/Virgo observations. If, in fact. angular momentum transport in massive stars is efficient, then any (electromagnetic or gravitational wave) observation of a rapidly spinning BH would indicate either a very effective tidal spin up of the progenitor star (homogeneous evolution, high-mass X-ray binary formation through case A mass transfer, or a spin- up of a Wolf-Rayet star in a close binary by a close companion), significant mass accretion by the hole, or a BH formation through the merger of two or more BHs (in a dense stellar cluster).
Source: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Authors: K. Belczynski, J. Klencki, C. E. Fields, A. Olejak, E. Berti, G. Meynet, C. L. Fryer, D. E. Holz, R. O’Shaughnessy, D. A. Brown, T. Bulik, S. C. Leung, K. Nomoto, P. Madau, R. Hirschi, E. Kaiser, S. Jones, S. Mondal, M. Chruslinska, P. Drozda, D. Gerosa, Z. Doctor, M. Giersz, S. Ekstrom, C. Georgy, A. Askar, V. Baibhav, D. Wysocki, T. Natan, W. M. Farr, G. Wiktorowicz, M. Coleman Miller, B. Farr, J.-P. Lasota
Institutions: Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomical Center, Polish Academy of Sciences, Radboud University Nijmegen, Michigan State University, Center for Theoretical Physics, University of Warsaw, Johns Hopkins University, University of Geneva, Los Alamos National Laboratory, University of Chicago, Rochester Institute of Technology, Syracuse University, California Institute of Technology, Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe, The University of Tokyo, University of California, Santa Cruz, Keele University, University of Birmingham, University of Oregon, Lund University, Kenyon College, Stony Brook University, Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Astronomical Observatories, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Joint Space Science Institute, University of Maryland, College Park, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris, Sorbonne Université
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
Funders: National Science Foundation, Ford Foundation, Smithsonian Institution, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Kavli Foundation, University of Chicago, Michigan State University, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Leverhulme Trust, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung, Danmarks Grundforskningsfond, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales, Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, Narodowym Centrum Nauki, College of Engineering, Michigan State University, University of California, Santa Barbara, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Science and Technology Facilities Council, Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara
Awards: G1057060992, G1390571956, G1407940666, G1413319210, G1428136081, Gravitational Wave Observation and Inference in the Advanced Detector Era, G1871477277, G2084172953, Physics and astrophysics of compact objects, G3240456572, G3288486485, From massive stars to neutron stars and black holes as gravitational wave sources, G3561758408, Gravitational Wave Astrophysics With Advanced LIGO, G368586925, G3815726687, From First Detections to Gravitational-Wave Astrophysics, Collaborative Research: Understanding Compact Binary Star Formation with the First Gravitational Wave Detections, G4172674558, G4236255247, Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), G5261598906, G5599649393, G5603896232, G5707650116, G5780980149, G582207041, G628552264, A KEY GOAL OF COSMOLOGY IS TO UNDERSTAND THE ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF NONLINEAR STRUCTURE IN THE UNIVERSE INCLUDING STARS GALAXIES AND BLACK HOLES. RICH NEW SETS OF DATA WILL BECOME AVAILABLE SOON FROM MISSIONS SUCH AS JWST WFIRST X-RAY SURVEYOR ATHENA AND LISA AND WILL ADD TO OUR BREADTH OF INFORMATION ABOUT THIS CRITICAL EPOCH. ALTHOUGH CONSIDERABLE EFFORT HAS BEEN DEVOTED TO LARGE-SCALE COSMOLOGICAL SIMULATIONS WITH THE GOAL OF PROVIDING THEORETICAL GUIDANCE FOR THESE UPCOMING MISSIONS LESS ATTENTION HAS BEEN PAID TO THE EQUALLY IMPORTANT SMALLER-SCALE ASTROPHYSICAL PROCESSES THAT UNDERLIE THESE SIMULATIONS AND ARE BELOW THE RESOLUTION LIMIT OF MOST COSMOLOGICAL SIMULATIONS. WE PROPOSE TO EXPLORE SEVERAL ASPECTS OF THIS UNDERLYING ASTROPHYSICS RELATED TO COMPACT STAR CLUSTERS AT HIGH REDSHIFTS INCLUDING (1) THEIR ROLE IN THE PRODUCTION OF SEEDS FOR SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLES (SMBHS) (2) THE PHYSICS OF THEIR FORMATION AND GROWTH INCLUDING SUPER-EDDINGTON ACCRETION AND CLOUD FRAGMENTATION (3) THE ROLE OF X-RAY HEATING ON TRIGGERING COMPACT CLUSTERS FORMATION AND (4) THEIR EFFECT ON THE REIONIZATION OF THE UNIVERSE. WE WILL LINK OUR FINDINGS TO PREDICTION AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA FROM MISSIONS SUCH AS THOSE LISTED ABOVE. THIS WORK HAS DIRECT RELEVANCE TO STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 1.6 OF NASA: DISCOVER HOW THE UNIVERSE WORKS EXPLORE HOW IT BEGAN AND EVOLVED AND SEARCH FOR LIFE ON PLANETS AROUND OTHER STARS. WITHIN THIS OBJECTIVE WE WILL INVESTIGATE THE NATURE OF BLACK HOLES AND THE PROCESSES OF FORMATION OF STARS AND GALAXIES., Studies of the Extreme Dynamics of Black Hole Binaries, Towards the first stars, G7445397948, Modeling the Census of Stellar Explosions in Galaxies across the Universe, G8483132061, G8493109902, Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, Physics and Astrophysics of Compact Binaries, G985207216
OpenAlex ID: W2969676596