The Chronology of Massive, Multiple-Star Systems
Name of applicant
Alejandro Vigna Gomez
Title
Postdoctoral Fellow
Institution
Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics
Amount
DKK 2,010,748
Year
2024
Type of grant
Reintegration Fellowships
What?
To date, nearly a hundred binary black hole mergers have been detected through gravitational waves. Furthermore, recent discoveries indicate that stars more massive than the Sun are rarely isolated, typically existing in multiple-star systems with one or more stellar companions. This project will connect the evolution of massive, multiple-star systems with the formation of black hole binaries.
Why?
The number of detections from binary black hole mergers is projected to surpass a thousand by 2028. Future surveys are predicted to detect binary black holes within the Milky Way. Gaining insight into the progenitors of binary black holes is essential for understanding the physics of massive stars and accurately interpreting gravitational-wave signals.
How?
Using novel numerical simulations of massive, multiple-star systems. These simulations incorporate stellar evolution, star interactions including mass exchange and supernovae, and the dynamics between stars and black holes. I will investigate the types of stellar configurations that lead to the formation of binary black holes.