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Pathways for producing binary black holes with large misaligned spins in the isolated formation channel
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena · Submitted 30 Sep 2020
abstract compiled · 2026-09-23 · no language-model review
The authors' main claim We present a simplified model of binary stellar evolution and identify regions of the parameter space that produce BBHs with large spins misaligned with their orbital angular momentum.
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The abstract, sentence by sentence
Binary black holes (BBHs) can form from the collapsed cores of isolated high-mass binary stars. The masses and spins of these BBHs are determined by the complicated interplay of phenomena such as tides, winds, accretion, common-envelope evolution (CEE), supernova natal kicks, and stellar core-envelope coupling. The gravitational waves emitted during the mergers of BBHs depend on their masses and spins and can thus constrain these phenomena. We present a simplified model of binary stellar evolution and identify regions of the parameter space that produce BBHs with large spins misaligned with their orbital angular momentum. In Scenario A (B) of our model, stable mass transfer (SMT) occurs after Roche-lobe overflow (RLOF) of the more (less) massive star, while CEE follows RLOF of the less (more) massive star. Each scenario is further divided into Pathways 1 and 2 depending on whether the core of the more massive star collapses before or after RLOF of the less massive star, respectively. If the stellar cores are coupled weakly to their envelopes, highly spinning BBHs can be produced if natal spins greater than $10\%$ of the breakup value are inherited from the stellar progenitors. BBHs can alternatively acquire large spins by tidal synchronization during the Wolf-Rayet stage in Scenario A or by accretion onto the initially more massive star during SMT in Scenario B. BBH spins can be highly misaligned if the kicks are comparable to the orbital velocity, which is more easily achieved in Pathway A1 where the kick of the more massive star precedes CEE.
background contribution method result interpretation main claim
| # | sentence | role | the authors' own work | states the main conclusion | strength |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| s0 | Binary black holes (BBHs) can form from the collapsed cores of isolated high-mass binary stars. | background 1.00 | 0.05 | 0.03 | hedged possibility 0.75 |
| s1 | The masses and spins of these BBHs are determined by the complicated interplay of phenomena such as tides, winds, accretion, common-envelope evolution (CEE), supernova natal kicks, and stellar core-envelope coupling. | background 1.00 | 0.07 | 0.02 | asserted 1.00 |
| s2 | The gravitational waves emitted during the mergers of BBHs depend on their masses and spins and can thus constrain these phenomena. | background 0.99 | 0.06 | 0.03 | asserted 0.64 |
| s3 | We present a simplified model of binary stellar evolution and identify regions of the parameter space that produce BBHs with large spins misaligned with their orbital angular momentum. | contribution 0.93 | 0.96 | 0.29 | asserted 1.00 |
| s4 | In Scenario A (B) of our model, stable mass transfer (SMT) occurs after Roche-lobe overflow (RLOF) of the more (less) massive star, while CEE follows RLOF of the less (more) massive star. | method 0.93 | 0.75 | 0.06 | asserted 0.99 |
| s5 | Each scenario is further divided into Pathways 1 and 2 depending on whether the core of the more massive star collapses before or after RLOF of the less massive star, respectively. | method 0.90 | 0.80 | 0.05 | asserted 0.98 |
| s6 | If the stellar cores are coupled weakly to their envelopes, highly spinning BBHs can be produced if natal spins greater than $10\%$ of the breakup value are inherited from the stellar progenitors. | result 0.97 | 0.72 | 0.17 | hedged possibility 0.93 |
| s7 | BBHs can alternatively acquire large spins by tidal synchronization during the Wolf-Rayet stage in Scenario A or by accretion onto the initially more massive star during SMT in Scenario B. | result 0.87 | 0.73 | 0.13 | hedged possibility 0.76 |
| s8 | BBH spins can be highly misaligned if the kicks are comparable to the orbital velocity, which is more easily achieved in Pathway A1 where the kick of the more massive star precedes CEE. | result 0.93 | 0.75 | 0.19 | hedged possibility 0.59 |
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The paper
Original abstract
Binary black holes (BBHs) can form from the collapsed cores of isolated high-mass binary stars. The masses and spins of these BBHs are determined by the complicated interplay of phenomena such as tides, winds, accretion, common-envelope evolution (CEE), supernova natal kicks, and stellar core-envelope coupling. The gravitational waves emitted during the mergers of BBHs depend on their masses and spins and can thus constrain these phenomena. We present a simplified model of binary stellar evolution and identify regions of the parameter space that produce BBHs with large spins misaligned with their orbital angular momentum. In Scenario A (B) of our model, stable mass transfer (SMT) occurs after Roche-lobe overflow (RLOF) of the more (less) massive star, while CEE follows RLOF of the less (more) massive star. Each scenario is further divided into Pathways 1 and 2 depending on whether the core of the more massive star collapses before or after RLOF of the less massive star, respectively. If the stellar cores are coupled weakly to their envelopes, highly spinning BBHs can be produced if natal spins greater than $10\%$ of the breakup value are inherited from the stellar progenitors. BBHs can alternatively acquire large spins by tidal synchronization during the Wolf-Rayet stage in Scenario A or by accretion onto the initially more massive star during SMT in Scenario B. BBH spins can be highly misaligned if the kicks are comparable to the orbital velocity, which is more easily achieved in Pathway A1 where the kick of the more massive star precedes CEE.
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References
How the literature uses it
23 arXiv papers cite this in 33 sentences
Papers citing it · 28 sentences without a confident label
Compares with it 1 paper
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We do not vary the initial primary mass in the results of section [ref] as was done in [ref] , but our results presented here would be qualitatively similar for varied initial primary mass.
Signatures of spin precession and nutation in isolated black-hole binaries · Discussion · 0.91
Cites it as background 4 papers
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Cases with large, negative $δ$ essentially describe isolated stellar evolution, where repeated mergers do not take place (though we always assume isotropically distributed spins, not partial alignment as expected in isolated binary evolution [ref] ).
Deep learning and Bayesian inference of gravitational-wave populations: Hierarchical black-hole mergers · Repeated mergers · 0.88
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Precessing spins are a key prediction of BH binaries formed in dense clusters, but might also be present in the case of sources formed in isolation because of, e.g., supernova kicks [ref] .
A generalized precession parameter $\chi_\mathrm{p}$ to interpret gravitational-wave data · Introduction · 0.87
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Spins offer unique insight into angular momentum transport in stars [ref] , supernovae kicks [ref] , and two-body interactions hypothesized to impact BBH formation and evolution, such as tides, accretion, and stellar winds [ref] .
Posterior Predictive Checks for Gravitational-wave Populations: Limitations and Improvements · Introduction · 0.90
What it cites · 19 sentences without a confident label
Contests 1 paper
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For the radiative damping of the dynamical tide relevant to WR stars, [equation] after accounting for the typo in Eq. (42) of [ref] .
Evolution of binary stars and the effect of tides on binary populations · Tides · contest 0.73
Uses the method or tool of 1 paper
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For simplicity, we follow the prescription presented in [ref] where [equation]
Evolution of binary stars and the effect of tides on binary populations · Tides · 0.95
Uses data or values from 1 paper
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The value of $σ$ may be as low as 15 km/s for double neutron star binaries undergoing electron capture-supernova, and as large as 265 km/s for iron core-collapse supernova [ref] .
Astrophysics of stellar black holes · Natal Kicks · 0.96
Cites as background 5 papers
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In the second approach, numerical models of stellar structure are used to perform more accurate and computationally expensive stellar evolution on a smaller number of systems while binary processes are simplified [ref] .
Are the observed black hole mergers spins consistent with field binary progenitors? · Binary-Evolution Prescriptions · 0.86
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In the first approach, large statistical samples of binary populations are synthesized using fits to simplified stellar-evolution models [ref] .
Spin of LIGO/VIRGO merging black holes as the result of binary evolution · Binary-Evolution Prescriptions · 0.91
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Typically, the BBH spin orientation is calculated in binary stellar-evolution models either from arbitrary prior distributions [ref] , by completely ignoring misalignments [ref] , or by post-processing the effects of SN kicks [ref] .
Machine-learning interpolation of population-synthesis simulations to interpret gravitational-wave observations: a case study · Executive Summary · 0.81
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