IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v8y2017i1d10.1038_s41467-017-00851-7.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Gravitational-wave localization alone can probe origin of stellar-mass black hole mergers

Author

Listed:
  • I. Bartos

    (Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory
    University of Florida)

  • Z. Haiman

    (Columbia University
    New York University)

  • Z. Marka

    (Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory)

  • B. D. Metzger

    (Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory)

  • N. C. Stone

    (Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory)

  • S. Marka

    (Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory)

Abstract

The recent discovery of gravitational waves from stellar-mass binary black hole mergers by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory opened the door to alternative probes of stellar and galactic evolution, cosmology and fundamental physics. Probing the origin of binary black hole mergers will be difficult due to the expected lack of electromagnetic emission and limited localization accuracy. Associations with rare host galaxy types—such as active galactic nuclei—can nevertheless be identified statistically through spatial correlation. Here we establish the feasibility of statistically proving the connection between binary black hole mergers and active galactic nuclei as hosts, even if only a sub-population of mergers originate from active galactic nuclei. Our results are the demonstration that the limited localization of gravitational waves, previously written off as not useful to distinguish progenitor channels, can in fact contribute key information, broadening the range of astrophysical questions probed by binary black hole observations.

Suggested Citation

  • I. Bartos & Z. Haiman & Z. Marka & B. D. Metzger & N. C. Stone & S. Marka, 2017. "Gravitational-wave localization alone can probe origin of stellar-mass black hole mergers," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 8(1), pages 1-5, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:8:y:2017:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-017-00851-7
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-00851-7
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-017-00851-7
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41467-017-00851-7?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:8:y:2017:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-017-00851-7. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.