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Title: Compact binary merger rates: Comparison with LIGO/Virgo upper limits

Abstract

Here, we compare evolutionary predictions of double compact object merger rate densities with initial and forthcoming LIGO/Virgo upper limits. We find that: (i) Due to the cosmological reach of advanced detectors, current conversion methods of population synthesis predictions into merger rate densities are insufficient. (ii) Our optimistic models are a factor of 18 below the initial LIGO/Virgo upper limits for BH–BH systems, indicating that a modest increase in observational sensitivity (by a factor of ~2.5) may bring the first detections or first gravitational wave constraints on binary evolution. (iii) Stellar-origin massive BH–BH mergers should dominate event rates in advanced LIGO/Virgo and can be detected out to redshift z sime 2 with templates including inspiral, merger, and ringdown. Normal stars ($$\lt 150\;{M}_{\odot }$$) can produce such mergers with total redshifted mass up to $${M}_{{\rm{tot,z}}}\simeq 400\;{M}_{\odot }$$. (iv) High black hole (BH) natal kicks can severely limit the formation of massive BH–BH systems (both in isolated binary and in dynamical dense cluster evolution), and thus would eliminate detection of these systems even at full advanced LIGO/Virgo sensitivity. We find that low and high BH natal kicks are allowed by current observational electromagnetic constraints. (v) The majority of our models yield detections ofmore » all types of mergers (NS–NS, BH–NS, BH–BH) with advanced detectors. Numerous massive BH–BH merger detections will indicate small (if any) natal kicks for massive BHs.« less

Authors:
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [1];  [5];  [6];  [1]
  1. Warsaw Univ., Warsaw (Poland)
  2. Radboud Univ. Nijmegen, Nijmegen (The Netherlands)
  3. Univ. of Chicago, Chicago, IL (United States)
  4. Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY (United States)
  5. Univ. of Mississippi, University, MS (United States); Univ. de Lisboa, Lisboa (Portugal)
  6. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
1296670
Report Number(s):
LA-UR-15-27496
Journal ID: ISSN 1538-4357
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC52-06NA25396
Resource Type:
Journal Article: Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
The Astrophysical Journal (Online)
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 819; Journal Issue: 2; Journal ID: ISSN 1538-4357
Publisher:
Institute of Physics (IOP)
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS; astronomy and astrophysics; binaries: close; gravitation; stars: evolution; stars: neutron

Citation Formats

Belczynski, Krzysztof, Repetto, Serena, Holz, Daniel E., O'Shaugnessy, Richard, Bulik, Tomasz, Berti, Emanuele, Fryer, Christopher Lee, and Dominik, Michal. Compact binary merger rates: Comparison with LIGO/Virgo upper limits. United States: N. p., 2016. Web. doi:10.3847/0004-637X/819/2/108.
Belczynski, Krzysztof, Repetto, Serena, Holz, Daniel E., O'Shaugnessy, Richard, Bulik, Tomasz, Berti, Emanuele, Fryer, Christopher Lee, & Dominik, Michal. Compact binary merger rates: Comparison with LIGO/Virgo upper limits. United States. https://doi.org/10.3847/0004-637X/819/2/108
Belczynski, Krzysztof, Repetto, Serena, Holz, Daniel E., O'Shaugnessy, Richard, Bulik, Tomasz, Berti, Emanuele, Fryer, Christopher Lee, and Dominik, Michal. 2016. "Compact binary merger rates: Comparison with LIGO/Virgo upper limits". United States. https://doi.org/10.3847/0004-637X/819/2/108. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1296670.
@article{osti_1296670,
title = {Compact binary merger rates: Comparison with LIGO/Virgo upper limits},
author = {Belczynski, Krzysztof and Repetto, Serena and Holz, Daniel E. and O'Shaugnessy, Richard and Bulik, Tomasz and Berti, Emanuele and Fryer, Christopher Lee and Dominik, Michal},
abstractNote = {Here, we compare evolutionary predictions of double compact object merger rate densities with initial and forthcoming LIGO/Virgo upper limits. We find that: (i) Due to the cosmological reach of advanced detectors, current conversion methods of population synthesis predictions into merger rate densities are insufficient. (ii) Our optimistic models are a factor of 18 below the initial LIGO/Virgo upper limits for BH–BH systems, indicating that a modest increase in observational sensitivity (by a factor of ~2.5) may bring the first detections or first gravitational wave constraints on binary evolution. (iii) Stellar-origin massive BH–BH mergers should dominate event rates in advanced LIGO/Virgo and can be detected out to redshift z sime 2 with templates including inspiral, merger, and ringdown. Normal stars ($\lt 150\;{M}_{\odot }$) can produce such mergers with total redshifted mass up to ${M}_{{\rm{tot,z}}}\simeq 400\;{M}_{\odot }$. (iv) High black hole (BH) natal kicks can severely limit the formation of massive BH–BH systems (both in isolated binary and in dynamical dense cluster evolution), and thus would eliminate detection of these systems even at full advanced LIGO/Virgo sensitivity. We find that low and high BH natal kicks are allowed by current observational electromagnetic constraints. (v) The majority of our models yield detections of all types of mergers (NS–NS, BH–NS, BH–BH) with advanced detectors. Numerous massive BH–BH merger detections will indicate small (if any) natal kicks for massive BHs.},
doi = {10.3847/0004-637X/819/2/108},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1296670}, journal = {The Astrophysical Journal (Online)},
issn = {1538-4357},
number = 2,
volume = 819,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu Mar 03 00:00:00 EST 2016},
month = {Thu Mar 03 00:00:00 EST 2016}
}

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