Population Of Compact Binaries Research Articles

Low-latency gravitational wave alert products and their performance at the time of the fourth LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA observing run

Multimessenger searches for binary neutron star (BNS) and neutron star-black hole (NSBH) mergers are currently one of the most exciting areas of astronomy. The search for joint electromagnetic and neutrino counterparts to gravitational wave (GW)s has resumed with ALIGO's, AdVirgo's and KAGRA's fourth observing run (O4). To support this effort, public semiautomated data products are sent in near real-time and include localization and source properties to guide complementary observations. In preparation for O4, we have conducted a study using a simulated population of compact binaries and a mock data challenge (MDC) in the form of a real-time replay to optimize and profile the software infrastructure and scientific deliverables. End-toend performance was tested, including data ingestion, running online search pipelines, performing annotations, and issuing alerts to the astrophysics community. We present an overview of the low-latency infrastructure and the performance of the data products that are now being released during O4 based on the MDC. We report the expected median latency for the preliminary alert of full bandwidth searches (29.5 s) and show consistency and accuracy of released data products using the MDC. We report the expected median latency for triggers from early warning searches (-3.1 s), which are new in O4 and target neutron star mergers during inspiral phase. This paper provides a performance overview for LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA (LVK) low-latency alert infrastructure and data products using theMDCand serves as a useful reference for the interpretation of O4 detections.

Likelihood of white dwarf binaries to dominate the astrophysical gravitational wave background in the mHz band

Context. The astrophysical gravitational wave background (AGWB) is a collective signal of astrophysical gravitational wave sources dominated by compact binaries. One key science goal of current and future gravitational wave detectors is to obtain its measurement. Aims. We aim to determine the population of compact binaries dominating the AGWB in the mHz band. We revisit and update an earlier work by Farmer & Phinney (2003, MNRAS, 346, 1197) to model the astrophysical gravitational wave background sourced by extragalactic white dwarf binaries in the mHz frequency band. Methods. We calculated the signal using a single-metallicity model for the white dwarf population in the Universe using the global star formation history. Results. We estimate the white dwarf AGWB amplitude to be ∼60% higher than the earlier estimate. We also find that the overall shape of the white dwarf AGWB shows a good fit with a broken power law combined with an exponential cut-off. Conclusions. We compare our results to present-day best estimates for the background due to black hole and neutron star binaries, finding that the white dwarf component is likely to dominate in the mHz band. We provide an order-of-magnitude estimate that explains this hierarchy and we comment on the implications for future missions that aim to detect the AGWB. We also note that the black hole AGWB may only be detectable at high frequency. We outline several improvements that can be made to our estimate, however, these points are unlikely to change our main conclusion, which posits that the white dwarf AGWB dominates the mHz band.

Reconstructing the star formation rate for compact binary populations with the Einstein telescope

The Einstein Telescope (ET) is a proposed third-generation, wide-band gravitational wave (GW) detector. Given its improved detection sensitivity in comparison to the second-generation detectors, it will be capable of exploring the Universe with GWs up to very high redshifts. In this paper, we present a population-independent method to infer the functional form of star formation rate density (SFR) for different populations of compact binaries originating in stars from Population (Pop) I+II and Pop III using ET as a single instrument. We use an algorithm to answer three major questions regarding the SFR of different populations of compact binaries. Specifically, these questions refer to the termination redshift of the formation of Pop III stars, the redshift at peak SFR, and the functional form of SFR at high redshift, all of which remain to be elucidated. We show that the reconstruction of SFR as a function of redshift for the different populations of compact binaries is independent of the time-delay distributions up to z ∼ 14, and that the accuracy of the reconstruction only strongly depends on this distribution at higher redshifts of z ≳ 14. We define the termination redshift for Pop III stars as the redshift where the SFR drops to 1% of its peak value. In this analysis, we constrain the peak of the SFR as a function of redshift and show that ET as a single instrument can distinguish the termination redshifts of different SFRs for Pop III stars, which have a true separation of at least Δz ∼ 2. The accurate estimation of the termination redshift depends on correctly modelling the tail of the time-delay distribution, which constitutes delay times of ≳8 Gyr.

Joint cosmological and gravitational-wave population inference using dark sirens and galaxy catalogues

In the absence of numerous gravitational-wave detections with confirmed electromagnetic counterparts, the “dark siren” method has emerged as a leading technique of gravitational-wave cosmology. The method allows redshift information of such events to be inferred statistically from a catalogue of potential host galaxies. Due to selection effects, dark siren analyses necessarily depend on the mass distribution of compact objects and the evolution of their merger rate with redshift. Informative priors on these quantities will impact the inferred posterior constraints on the Hubble constant (H 0). It is thus crucial to vary these unknown distributions during an H 0 inference. This was not possible in earlier analyses due to the high computational cost, restricting them to either excluding galaxy catalogue information, or fixing the gravitational-wave population mass distribution and risking introducing bias to the H 0 measurement. This paper introduces a significantly enhanced version of the Python package gwcosmo, which allows joint estimation of cosmological and compact binary population parameters. This thereby ensures the analysis is now robust to a major source of potential bias. The gravitational-wave events from the Third Gravitational-Wave Transient Catalogue are reanalysed with the GLADE+ galaxy catalogue, and an updated, more reliable measurement of H 0 = 69+12 -7 km s-1 Mpc-1 is found (maximum a posteriori probability and 68% highest density interval). This improved method will enable cosmological analyses with future gravitational-wave detections to make full use of the information available (both from galaxy catalogues and the compact binary population itself), leading to promising new independent bounds on the Hubble constant.

Nonparametric Inference of the Population of Compact Binaries from Gravitational-wave Observations Using Binned Gaussian Processes

The observation of gravitational waves from multiple compact binary coalescences by the LIGO–Virgo–KAGRA detector networks has enabled us to infer the underlying distribution of compact binaries across a wide range of masses, spins, and redshifts. In light of the new features found in the mass spectrum of binary black holes and the uncertainty regarding binary formation models, nonparametric population inference has become increasingly popular. In this work, we develop a data-driven clustering framework that can identify features in the component mass distribution of compact binaries simultaneously with those in the corresponding redshift distribution, from gravitational-wave data in the presence of significant measurement uncertainties, while making very few assumptions about the functional form of these distributions. Our generalized model is capable of inferring correlations among various population properties, such as the redshift evolution of the shape of the mass distribution itself, in contrast to most existing nonparametric inference schemes. We test our model on simulated data and demonstrate the accuracy with which it can reconstruct the underlying distributions of component masses and redshifts. We also reanalyze public LIGO–Virgo–KAGRA data from events in GWTC-3 using our model and compare our results with those from some alternative parametric and nonparametric population inference approaches. Finally, we investigate the potential presence of correlations between mass and redshift in the population of binary black holes in GWTC-3 (those observed by the LIGO–Virgo–KAGRA detector network in their first three observing runs), without making any assumptions about the specific nature of these correlations.

Astrophysical uncertainties in the gravitational-wave background from stellar-mass compact binary mergers

ABSTRACT We investigate the stochastic gravitational-wave background (SGWB) produced by merging binary black holes (BBHs) and binary neutron stars (BNSs) in the frequency ranges of Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO)/Virgo/Kagra and Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). We develop three analytical models, which are calibrated to the measured local merger rates, and complement them with three population synthesis models based on the cosmic code. We discuss the uncertainties, focusing on the impact of the BBH mass distribution, the effect of the metallicity of the progenitor stars, and the time delay distribution between star formation and compact binary merger. We also explore the effect of uncertainties in binary stellar evolution on the background. For BBHs, our analytical models predict ΩGW in the range [4 × 10−10 to 1 × 10−9] (25 Hz) and [1 × 10−12 to 4 × 10−12] (3 mHz), and between [2 × 10−10 to 2 × 10−9] (25 Hz) and [7 × 10−13 to 7 × 10−12] (3 mHz) for our population synthesis models. This background is unlikely to be detected during the LIGO/Virgo/Kagra O4 run, but could be detectable with LISA. We predict about 10 BBH and no BNS mergers that could be individually detectable by LISA for a period of observation of 4 yr. Our study provides new insights into the population of compact binaries and the main sources of uncertainty in the astrophysical SGWB.

Lightning: An X-Ray to Submillimeter Galaxy SED-fitting Code with Physically Motivated Stellar, Dust, and AGN Models

We present an updated version of Lightning, a galaxy spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting code that can model X-ray to submillimeter observations. The models in Lightning include the options to contain contributions from stellar populations, dust attenuation and emission, and active galactic nuclei (AGNs). X-ray emission, when utilized, can be modeled as originating from stellar compact binary populations with the option to include emission from AGNs. We have also included a variety of algorithms to fit the models to observations and sample parameter posteriors; these include adaptive Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC), affine-invariant MCMC, and Levenberg–Marquardt gradient-descent (MPFIT) algorithms. To demonstrate some of the capabilities of Lightning, we present several examples using a variety of observational data. These examples include (1) deriving the spatially resolved stellar properties of the nearby galaxy M81, (2) demonstrating how X-ray emission can provide constraints on the properties of the supermassive black hole of a distant AGN, (3) exploring how to rectify the attenuation effects of inclination on the derived the star formation rate of the edge-on galaxy NGC 4631, (4) comparing the performance of Lightning to similar Bayesian SED-fitting codes when deriving physical properties of the star-forming galaxy NGC 628, and (5) comparing the derived X-ray and UV-to-IR AGN properties from Lightning and CIGALE for a distant AGN. Lightning is an open-source application developed in IDL and is available at https://github.com/rafaeleufrasio/lightning.

Population of Merging Compact Binaries Inferred Using Gravitational Waves through GWTC-3

We report on the population properties of compact binary mergers inferred from gravitational-wave observations of these systems during the first three LIGO-Virgo observing runs. The Gravitational-Wave Transient Catalog 3 (GWTC-3) contains signals consistent with three classes of binary mergers: binary black hole, binary neutron star, and neutron star–black hole mergers. We infer the binary neutron star merger rate to be between 10 and 1700 Gpc−3 yr−1 and the neutron star–black hole merger rate to be between 7.8 and 140 Gpc−3 yr−1, assuming a constant rate density in the comoving frame and taking the union of 90% credible intervals for methods used in this work. We infer the binary black hole merger rate, allowing for evolution with redshift, to be between 17.9 and 44 Gpc−3 yr−1 at a fiducial redshift (z=0.2). The rate of binary black hole mergers is observed to increase with redshift at a rate proportional to (1+z)κ with κ=2.9−1.8+1.7 for z≲1. Using both binary neutron star and neutron star–black hole binaries, we obtain a broad, relatively flat neutron star mass distribution extending from 1.2−0.2+0.1 to 2.0−0.3+0.3M⊙. We confidently determine that the merger rate as a function of mass sharply declines after the expected maximum neutron star mass, but cannot yet confirm or rule out the existence of a lower mass gap between neutron stars and black holes. We also find the binary black hole mass distribution has localized over- and underdensities relative to a power-law distribution, with peaks emerging at chirp masses of 8.3−0.5+0.3 and 27.9−1.8+1.9M⊙. While we continue to find that the mass distribution of a binary’s more massive component strongly decreases as a function of primary mass, we observe no evidence of a strongly suppressed merger rate above approximately 60M⊙, which would indicate the presence of a upper mass gap. Observed black hole spins are small, with half of spin magnitudes below χi≈0.25. While the majority of spins are preferentially aligned with the orbital angular momentum, we infer evidence of antialigned spins among the binary population. We observe an increase in spin magnitude for systems with more unequal-mass ratio. We also observe evidence of misalignment of spins relative to the orbital angular momentum.22 MoreReceived 4 February 2022Revised 28 October 2022Accepted 19 December 2022DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevX.13.011048Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.Published by the American Physical SocietyPhysics Subject Headings (PhySH)Research AreasGravitational wave sourcesGravitational wavesTechniquesGravitational wave detectionGravitation, Cosmology & Astrophysics

Effects of a non‐universal IMF and binary parameter correlations on compact binary mergers

AbstractBinary population synthesis provides a direct way of studying the effects of different choices of binary evolution models and initial parameter distributions on present‐day compact binary merger populations, which can then be compared to empirical properties such as observed merger rates. Samples of zero‐age main sequence binaries to be evolved by such codes are typically generated from a universal initial mass function (IMF) and simple, uniform, distributions for orbital period P, mass ratio q, and eccentricity e. More recently, however, mounting observational evidence has suggested the non‐universality of the IMF and the existence of correlations between binary parameters. In this study, we implement a metallicity‐ and redshift‐dependent IMF alongside correlated distributions for P, q, and e to generate representative populations of binaries at varying redshifts, which are then evolved with the COMPAS code in order to study the variations in merger rates and overall population properties.

Constraining parameters of low mass merging compact binary systems with Einstein Telescope alone

The Einstein Telescope (ET), a future third-generation gravitational wave detector will have detection sensitivity for gravitational wave signals down to 1 Hz. This improved low-frequency sensitivity of the ET will allow the observation of low mass binaries for a longer period of time in the detection band before their merger. Because of an improved sensitivity as compared to current and advanced 2G detectors, the detection rate will also be greatly improved. Given the high detection rate of merging compact binaries with the ET, it will be a useful instrument to conduct population studies. In this paper we present an algorithm to estimate the parameters of the low mass merging compact binary systems such as localization, chirp mass, redshift, mass ratios and total mass of the source which are crucial in order to estimate the capability of the ET to study various compact binary populations. For the compact binary population distributed uniformly in comoving volume we find that with single ET, $\approx 1\%$ of binaries can be localized within 800 square degrees. The values of chirp mass and total mass can be constrained within $\lesssim 5\%$ error, while $z$ and $D_L$ can be estimated with an error of $\lesssim 15\%$ for effective SNR $\gtrsim 50$ using single ET.

Exploring compact binary populations with the Einstein Telescope

The Einstein Telescope (ET), a wide-band, future third generation gravitational wave detector, is expected to have detection rates of ∼105 − 106 binary black hole (BBH) detections and ∼7 × 104 binary neutron star (BNS) detections in one year. The coalescence of compact binaries with a total mass of 20–100 M⊙, typical of BH-BH or BH-NS binaries, will be visible up to redshift z ≈ 20 and even higher, thus facilitating the understanding of the dark era of the Universe preceding the birth of the first stars. The ET will therefore be a crucial instrument for population studies. We analysed the compact binaries originating in stars from (i) Population (Pop) I+II, (ii) Pop III, and (iii) globular clusters (GCs), with the single ET instrument, using the ET-D design sensitivity for the analysis. We estimated the constraints on the chirp mass, redshift, and merger rate as function of redshift for these classes of compact object binaries. We conclude that the ET as a single instrument is capable of detecting and distinguishing different compact binary populations separated in chirp mass – redshift space. While compact binaries originating in stars from Pop III are clearly distinguishable, owing to the separation in chirp mass – redshift space, the other two populations, Pop I+II, and GCs, can be distinguished with just 500 detections, corresponding to an observation time of ∼1 h. The mass distribution characteristics of such different compact binary populations can also be estimated with the single ET instrument.

Bridging the Gap: Categorizing Gravitational-wave Events at the Transition between Neutron Stars and Black Holes

We search for features in the mass distribution of detected compact binary coalescences which signify the transition between neutron stars (NSs) and black holes (BHs). We analyze all gravitational-wave (GW) detections by the LIGO Scientific Collaboration, the Virgo Collaboration, and the KAGRA Collaboration (LVK) made through the end of the first half of the third observing run, and find clear evidence for two different populations of compact objects based solely on GW data. We confidently (99.3%) find a steepening relative to a single power law describing NSs and low-mass BHs below , which is consistent with many predictions for the maximum NS mass. We find suggestions of the purported lower mass gap between the most massive NSs and the least massive BHs, but are unable to conclusively resolve it with current data. If it exists, we find the lower mass gap’s edges to lie at and . We reexamine events that have been deemed “exceptional” by the LVK collaborations in the context of these features. We analyze GW190814 self-consistently in the context of the full population of compact binaries, finding support for its secondary to be either a NS or a lower mass gap object, consistent with previous claims. Our models are the first to accommodate this event, which is an outlier with respect to the binary BH population. We find that GW200105 and GW200115 probe the edges of, and may have components within, the lower mass gap. As future data improve global population models, the classification of these events will also improve.

Please Repeat: Strong Lensing of Gravitational Waves as a Probe of Compact Binary and Galaxy Populations

Abstract Strong gravitational lensing of gravitational wave sources offers a novel probe of both the lens galaxy and the binary source population. In particular, the strong lensing event rate and the time-delay distribution of multiply imaged gravitational-wave binary coalescence events can be used to constrain the mass distribution of the lenses as well as the intrinsic properties of the source population. We calculate the strong lensing event rate for a range of second- (2G) and third-generation (3G) detectors, including Advanced LIGO/Virgo, A+, Einstein Telescope (ET), and Cosmic Explorer (CE). For 3G detectors, we find that ∼0.1% of observed events are expected to be strongly lensed. We predict detections of ∼1 lensing pair per year with A+, and ∼50 pairs per year with ET/CE. These rates are highly sensitive to the characteristic galaxy velocity dispersion, σ *, implying that observations of the rates will be a sensitive probe of lens properties. We explore using the time-delay distribution between multiply imaged gravitational-wave sources to constrain properties of the lenses. We find that 3G detectors would constrain σ * to ∼21% after 5 yr. Finally, we show that the presence or absence of strong lensing within the detected population provides useful insights into the source redshift and mass distribution out to redshifts beyond the peak of the star formation rate, which can be used to constrain formation channels and their relation to the star formation rate and delay-time distributions for these systems.

Hearing gravity from the cosmos: GWTC-2 probes general relativity at cosmological scales

Gravitational-wave (GW) catalogs are rapidly increasing in number, allowing for statistical analyses of the population of compact binaries. Nonetheless, GW inference of cosmology has typically relied on additional electromagnetic counterparts or galaxy catalogs. I present a new probe of cosmological modifications of general relativity with GW data only. I focus on deviations of the GW luminosity distance constrained with the astrophysical population of binary black holes (BBHs). The three key observables are 1) the number of events as a function of luminosity distance, 2) the stochastic GW background of unresolved binaries and 3) the location of any feature in the source mass distribution, such as the pair instability supernova (PISN) gap. Modifications of the GW luminosity distance are a priori degenerate with the unknown evolution of the merger rate and source masses. However, a large damping of the GW amplitude predicts a reduction of the events and lowering of the edges of the PISN gap with redshift that is against standard astrophysical expectations. Applying a hierarchical Bayesian analysis to the current LIGO–Virgo catalog (GWTC-2), the strongest constraints to date are placed on deviations from the GW luminosity distance, finding cM=−3.2−2.0+3.4 at 68% C.L., which is ∼10 times better than multi-messenger GW170817 bounds. These modifications also affect the determination of the BBH masses, which is crucial to accommodate the high-mass binary GW190521 away from the PISN gap. In this analysis it is found that the maximum mass of 99% of the population shifts to lower masses with increased uncertainty, m99%=46.2−9.1+11.4M⊙ at 68% C.L. Testing gravity at large scales with the population of BBHs will become increasingly relevant with future catalogs, providing an independent and self-contained test of the standard cosmological model.

Birth of the ELMs: a ZTF survey for evolved cataclysmic variables turning into extremely low-mass white dwarfs

ABSTRACT We present a systematic survey for mass-transferring and recently detached cataclysmic variables (CVs) with evolved secondaries, which are progenitors of extremely low mass white dwarfs (ELM WDs), AM CVn systems, and detached ultracompact binaries. We select targets below the main sequence in the Gaia colour–magnitude diagram with ZTF light curves showing large-amplitude ellipsoidal variability and orbital period Porb < 6 h. This yields 51 candidates brighter than G = 18, of which we have obtained many-epoch spectra for 21. We confirm all 21 to be completely or nearly Roche lobe filling close binaries. Thirteen show evidence of ongoing mass transfer, which has likely just ceased in the other eight. Most of the secondaries are hotter than any previously known CV donors, with temperatures 4700 < Teff/K < 8000. Remarkably, all secondaries with $T_{\rm eff} \gtrsim 7000\, \rm K$ appear to be detached, while all cooler secondaries are still mass-transferring. This transition likely marks the temperature where magnetic braking becomes inefficient due to loss of the donor’s convective envelope. Most of the proto-WD secondaries have masses near $0.15\, \rm M_{\odot }$; their companions have masses near $0.8\, \rm M_{\odot }$. We infer a space density of $\sim 60\, \rm kpc^{-3}$, roughly 80 times lower than that of normal CVs and three times lower than that of ELM WDs. The implied Galactic birth rate, $\mathcal {R}\sim 60\, \rm Myr^{-1}$, is half that of AM CVn binaries. Most systems are well-described by mesa models for CVs in which mass transfer begins only as the donor leaves the main sequence. All are predicted to reach minimum periods 5 ≲ Porb min−1 ≲ 30 within a Hubble time, where they will become AM CVn binaries or merge. This sample triples the known evolved CV population and offers broad opportunities for improving understanding of the compact binary population.

Characterization of the stochastic signal originating from compact binary populations as measured by LISA

The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission, scheduled for launch in the early 2030s, is a gravitational wave observatory in space designed to detect sources emitting in the milli-Hertz band. In contrast to the present ground based detectors, the LISA data are expected to be a signaldominated, with strong and weak gravitational wave signals overlapping in time and in frequency. Astrophysical population models predict a sufficient number of signals in the LISA band to blend together and form an irresolvable foreground noise. In this work, we present a generic method for characterizing the foreground signals originating from a given astrophysical population of coalescing compact binaries. Assuming idealized detector conditions and perfect data analysis technique capable of identifying and removing the bright sources, we apply an iterative procedure which allows us to predict the different levels of foreground noise.

Resolving Galactic binaries in LISA data using particle swarm optimization and cross-validation

The space-based gravitational wave (GW) detector LISA is expected to observe signals from a large population of compact object binaries, comprised predominantly of white dwarfs, in the Milky Way. Resolving individual sources from this population against its self-generated confusion noise poses a major data analysis problem. We present an iterative source estimation and subtraction method to address this problem based on the use of particle swarm optimization (PSO). In addition to PSO, a novel feature of the method is the cross-validation of sources estimated from the same data using different signal parameter search ranges. This is found to greatly reduce contamination by spurious sources and may prove to be a useful addition to any multi-source resolution method. Applied to a recent mock data challenge, the method is able to find $O(10^4)$ Galactic binaries across a signal frequency range of $[0.1,15]$ mHz, and, for frequency $\gtrsim 4$ mHz, reduces the residual data after subtracting out estimated signals to the instrumental noise level.

Probing fundamental physics with gravitational waves: The next generation

Gravitational wave observations of compact binary mergers are already providing stringent tests of general relativity and constraints on modified gravity. Ground-based interferometric detectors will soon reach design sensitivity and they will be followed by third-generation upgrades, possibly operating in conjunction with space-based detectors. How will these improvements affect our ability to investigate fundamental physics with gravitational waves? The answer depends on the timeline for the sensitivity upgrades of the instruments, but also on astrophysical compact binary population uncertainties, which determine the number and signal-to-noise ratio of the observed sources. We consider several scenarios for the proposed timeline of detector upgrades and various astrophysical population models. Using a stacked Fisher matrix analysis of binary black hole merger observations, we thoroughly investigate future theory-agnostic bounds on modifications of general relativity, as well as bounds on specific theories. For theory-agnostic bounds, we find that ground-based observations of stellar-mass black holes and LISA observations of massive black holes can each lead to improvements of 2-4 orders of magnitude with respect to present gravitational wave constraints, while multiband observations can yield improvements of 1-6 orders of magnitude. We also clarify how the relation between theory-agnostic and theory-specific bounds depends on the source properties.

Forward Modeling of Double Neutron Stars: Insights from Highly Offset Short Gamma-Ray Bursts

Abstract We present a detailed analysis of two well-localized, highly offset short gamma-ray bursts—GRB 070809 and GRB 090515—investigating the kinematic evolution of their progenitors from compact object formation until merger. Calibrating to observations of their most probable host galaxies, we construct semi-analytic galactic models that account for star formation history and galaxy growth over time. We pair detailed kinematic evolution with compact binary population modeling to infer viable post-supernova velocities and inspiral times. By populating binary tracers according to the star formation history of the host and kinematically evolving their post-supernova trajectories through the time-dependent galactic potential, we find that systems matching the observed offsets of the bursts require post-supernova systemic velocities of hundreds of kilometers per second. Marginalizing over uncertainties in the stellar mass–halo mass relation, we find that the second-born neutron star in the GRB 070809 and GRB 090515 progenitor systems received a natal kick of at the and credible levels, respectively. Applying our analysis to the full catalog of localized short gamma-ray bursts will provide unique constraints on their progenitors and help unravel the selection effects inherent to observing transients that are highly offset with respect to their hosts.

Noninteracting Black Hole Binaries with Gaia and LAMOST

Abstract Until recently, black holes (BHs) could be discovered only through accretion from other stars in X-ray binaries, or in merging double compact objects. Improvements in astrometric and spectroscopic measurements have made it possible to detect BHs also in noninteracting BH binaries (nBHBs) through a precise analysis of the companion’s motion. In this study, using an updated version of the StarTrack binary-star population modeling code and a detailed model of the Milky Way (MW) galaxy, we calculate the expected number of detections for Gaia and LAMOST surveys. We develop a formalism to convolve the binary population synthesis output with a realistic stellar density distribution, star formation history (SFH), and chemical evolution for the MW, which produces a probability distribution function of the predicted compact-binary population over the MW. This avoids the additional statistical uncertainty that is introduced by methods that Monte Carlo sample from binary population synthesis output to produce one potential specific realization of the MW compact-binary distribution, and our method is also comparatively fast to such Monte Carlo realizations. Specifically, we predict ∼41–340 nBHBs to be observed by Gaia, although the numbers may drop to ∼10–70 if the recent (≲100 Myr) star formation is low (∼1 M ⊙ yr−1). For LAMOST we predict ≲14 detectable nBHBs, which is lower partially because its field of view covers just ∼6% of the Galaxy.