Lower-mass-gap Black Holes in Dense Star Clusters

Abstract

The existence of compact stellar remnants in the mass range $2-5M_{\odot }$ has long been debated. This so-called lower mass gap was initially suggested by the lack of low-mass X-ray binary observations with accretors about $2-5M_{\odot }$, but it has recently been called into question following newer observations, including a lower-mass-gap candidate with a millisecond pulsar companion in the dense globular cluster NGC 1851. Here we model NGC 1851 with a grid of similar dense star clusters utilizing the state-of-the-art Monte Carlo $N$-body code \texttt{CMC}, and we specifically study the formation of lower-mass-gap black holes. We demonstrate that both massive star evolution and dynamical interactions can contribute to forming lower-mass-gap black holes. In general, the collapse of massive remnants formed through mergers of neutron stars or massive white dwarfs produces the largest number of lower-mass-gap black holes among all formation channels. However, in more massive clusters, supernova core collapse can contribute comparable numbers. Our NGC 1851-like models can reproduce millisecond pulsar -- lower-mass-gap black hole binaries similar to the observed system. Additionally, the lower-mass-gap black holes can also become components of dynamically assembled binaries, and some will be in merging black hole - neutron star systems similar to the recently detected gravitational wave source GW230529. However, the corresponding merger rate is probably $\lesssim 1\mathrm{Gp}{\mathrm{c}}^{-3}\mathrm{y}{\mathrm{r}}^{-1}$.

arXiv comment18 pages, 7 figures, 3 tables. Published at ApJ

References in corpus (85)

• GW170817: Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Neutron Star Inspiral
• On the variation of the Initial Mass Function
• Binary interaction dominates the evolution of massive stars
• Evolution of binary stars and the effect of tides on binary populations
• GW190814: Gravitational Waves from the Coalescence of a 23 M${}_{\odot }$ Black Hole with a 2.6 M${}_{\odot }$ Compact Object
• Comprehensive analytic formulae for stellar evolution as a function of mass and metallicity
• Relativistic Shapiro delay measurements of an extremely massive millisecond pulsar
• On the Fate of Gas Accreting at a Low Rate onto a Black Hole
• A statistical study of 233 pulsar proper motions
• Masses, Radii, and Equation of State of Neutron Stars
• Mind your Ps and Qs: the Interrelation between Period (P) and Mass-ratio (Q) Distributions of Binary Stars
• Compact Remnant Mass Function: Dependence on the Explosion Mechanism and Metallicity
• Refined Mass and Geometric Measurements of the High-Mass PSR J0740+6620
• Observation of gravitational waves from two neutron star-black hole coalescences
• Compact Object Modeling with the StarTrack Population Synthesis Code
• The Black Hole Mass Distribution in the Galaxy
• Binary Black Hole Mergers from Globular Clusters: Masses, Merger Rates, and the Impact of Stellar Evolution
• A catalogue of masses, structural parameters and velocity dispersion profiles of 112 Milky Way globular clusters
• The Mass Distribution of Stellar-Mass Black Holes
• The Ages of 55 Globular Clusters as Determined Using an Improved delta V_TO^HB Method Along with Color-Magnitude Diagram Constraints, and Their Implications for Broader Issues
• Gaia EDR3 view on Galactic globular clusters
• The ACS Survey of Galactic Globular Clusters. XII. Photometric Binaries along the Main-Sequence
• The Maximum Mass of a Neutron Star
• Stellar Collisions During Binary-Binary and Binary-Single Star Interactions
• The Mass Distribution of Stellar Black Holes
• COSMIC Variance in Binary Population Synthesis
• The Dynamical Evolution of Stellar Black Holes in Globular Clusters
• Discovery of a Candidate Black Hole - Giant Star Binary System in the Galactic Field
• Missing Black Holes Unveil The Supernova Explosion Mechanism
• The Long-Term Evolution of Double White Dwarf Mergers
• N-body modeling of globular clusters: Masses, mass-to-light ratios and intermediate-mass black holes
• Time-Dependent Models of Accretion Disks Formed from Compact Object Mergers
• Mass Fall-back and Accretion in the Central Engine of Gamma-Ray Bursts
• Modeling Dense Star Clusters in the Milky Way and Beyond with the $\text{CMC}$ Cluster Catalog
• Observation of Gravitational Waves from the Coalescence of a $2.5\text{-}4.5M_{\odot }$ Compact Object and a Neutron Star
• The Timing of Nine Globular Cluster Pulsars
• Inward Propagation of Nuclear-Burning Shells in Merging C-O and He White Dwarfs
• Measurement of Orbital Decay in the Double Neutron Star Binary PSR B2127+11C
• Monte-Carlo Simulations of Globular Cluster Evolution - I. Method and Test Calculations
• A stellar census in globular clusters with MUSE: Binaries in NGC 3201
• Rapid Eccentricity Oscillations and the Mergers of Compact Objects in Hierarchical Triples
• Monte Carlo Simulations of Globular Cluster Evolution. III. Primordial Binary Interactions
• Monte Carlo Simulations of Globular Cluster Evolution. IV. Direct Integration of Strong Interactions
• On the Rate of Neutron Star Binary Mergers from Globular Clusters
• Star count density profiles and structural parameters of 26 Galactic globular clusters
• An isolated mass gap black hole or neutron star detected with astrometric microlensing
• Off-Center Carbon Ignition in Rapidly Rotating, Accreting Carbon-Oxygen White Dwarfs
• Simple recipes for compact remnant masses and natal kicks
• Failed Supernovae Explain the Compact Remnant Mass Function
• A Unicorn in Monoceros: the $3M_{\odot }$ dark companion to the bright, nearby red giant V723 Mon is a non-interacting, mass-gap black hole candidate
• Modeling Dense Star Clusters in the Milky Way and Beyond with the Cluster Monte Carlo Code
• The Evolution and Fate of Super-Chandrasekhar Mass White Dwarf Merger Remnants
• Monte Carlo Simulations of Globular Cluster Evolution - II. Mass Spectra, Stellar Evolution and Lifetimes in the Galaxy
• Monte Carlo Simulations of Globular Cluster Evolution. V. Binary Stellar Evolution
• Micro - tidal disruption events by stellar compact objects and the production of ultra-long GRBs
• Thermal Runaway During the Evolution of ONeMg Cores towards Accretion-Induced Collapse
• A pulsar in a binary with a compact object in the mass gap between neutron stars and black holes
• The Hubble Space Telescope UV Legacy Survey of Galactic Globular Clusters. XXIII. Proper-motion catalogs and internal kinematics
• Evolutionary Models for the Remnant of the Merger of Two Carbon-Oxygen Core White Dwarfs
• Millisecond Pulsars and Black Holes in Globular Clusters
• Million-Body Star Cluster Simulations: Comparisons between Monte Carlo and Direct $N$-body
• How black holes shape globular clusters: Modeling NGC 3201
• FAST Globular Cluster Pulsar Survey: Twenty-Four Pulsars Discovered in Fifteen Globular Clusters
• Young Radio Pulsars in Galactic Globular Clusters
• Populating the Galaxy with pulsars I: stellar & binary evolution
• Evolution of the Binary Fraction in Dense Stellar Systems
• Understanding the Dynamical State of Globular Clusters: Core-Collapsed vs Non Core-Collapsed
• Upgraded Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope timing of NGC 1851A: a possible millisecond pulsar-neutron star system
• Relativistic mergers of black hole binaries have large, similar masses, low spins and are circular
• GMRT Discovery of A Millisecond Pulsar in a Very Eccentric Binary System
• The Effect of Supernova Convection On Neutron Star and Black Hole Masses
• Tidal Disruptions of Stars by Black Hole Remnants in Dense Star Clusters
• White Dwarf Subsystems in Core-Collapsed Globular Clusters
• Monte Carlo Simulations of Globular Cluster Evolution. VI. The Influence of an Intermediate Mass Black Hole
• GBT Discovery of Two Binary Millisecond Pulsars in the Globular Cluster M30
• Stellar Escape from Globular Clusters. I. Escape Mechanisms and Properties at Ejection
• Timing the Eccentric Binary Millisecond Pulsar in NGC 1851
• Populating the Galaxy with pulsars -- II. Galactic dynamics
• Connecting the Young Pulsars in Milky Way Globular Clusters with White Dwarf Mergers and the M81 Fast Radio Burst
• Compact Object Modeling in the Globular Cluster 47 Tucanae
• An Observationally-Derived Kick Distribution for Neutron Stars in Binary Systems
• Final compact remnants in core-collapse supernovae from 20 to 40 $M_{\odot }$: the lower mass gap
• Formation of Mass-gap Black Holes from Neutron Star X-ray Binaries with Super-Eddington Accretion
• Missing for 20 years: MeerKAT re-detects the elusive binary pulsar M30B
• Single Millisecond Pulsars from Dynamical Interaction Processes in Dense Star Clusters

Cited by in corpus (6)

• The Science of the Einstein Telescope
• Possible binary neutron star merger history of the primary of GW230529
• Mass Distribution of Binary Black Hole Mergers from Young and Old Dense Star Clusters
• Origin of Black Hole Spin in Lower-Mass-Gap Black Hole-Neutron Star Binaries
• Neutron Star with Dark Matter Admixture: A Candidate for Bridging the Mass Gap
• Characterizing Compact-object Binaries in the Lower Mass Gap with Gravitational Waves