Simulations predict intermediate-mass black hole formation in globular clusters

Abstract

Intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs) are those between 100 and 10${}^5$ solar masses ($M_{\odot }$); their formation process is debated. One possible origin is the growth of less massive black holes (BHs) via mergers with stars and compact objects within globular clusters (GCs). However, previous simulations have indicated that this process only produces IMBHs $<500M_{\odot }$ because the gravitational wave recoil ejects them when they merge with other BHs. We perform star-by-star simulations of GC formation, finding that high-density star formation in a GC's parent giant molecular cloud can produce sufficient mergers of massive stars to overcome that mass threshold. We conclude that GCs can form with IMBHs $\gtrsim 10^3{M}_{\odot }$, which is sufficiently massive to be retained within the GC even with the expected gravitational wave recoil.

Published online on 30 May 2024 in Science. Main (15 pages, 4 figures) and Supplementary materials (19 pages, 10 figures and 4 tables). The accepted version

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