Modeling Black Hole Dynamics in Dense Star Clusters in the Era of LIGO, LISA, and LSST

Kyle Kremer被授予NSF天文学和天体物理学博士后奖学金，在加州理工学院和卡内基天文台开展研究和教育项目。在接下来的几年里，来自合并黑洞(BHS)和中子星的引力波(GW)探测清单预计将大幅增加，解释这些来源的属性需要详细了解致密星团的作用。即将进行的临时调查还将对致密残留物的形成和数量提供新的制约因素。一个重要的通道，也是这项研究的重点，是在密集的恒星环境中形成的动力学，如球状星团(GC)。集天文教育和音乐表演于一体的宇宙音乐会多媒体节目已经在6个州成功举办了16场音乐会，并将扩展到南加州地区，在K-12学校和大学以及当地交响乐团演出。这是一项关于密集星团中黑洞动力学的广泛研究，应用于GW和高能天体物理学，涵盖(I)现实GC中大质量恒星碰撞和潮汐分裂事件的速率；(Ii)大质量黑洞黑洞对星团动力学的动力学效应；(Iii)并排分析气团中的致密双星形成和银河场中孤立的双星演化之间的差异；以及(Iv)公开发布一个现实的气态双星模型的广泛数据库。这项工作将大大有助于为下一代GW观测站和瞬变调查制定改进的数据分析和探测战略。这个项目推进了NSF宇宙大理想之窗的目标。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Kyle Kremer is awarded an NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowship to conduct a program of research and education at the California Institute of Technology and the Carnegie Observatories. Over the next few years, the list of gravitational wave (GW) detections from merging black holes (BHs) and neutron stars is expected to grow enormously, and interpreting the properties of these sources requires a detailed understanding of the role of dense star clusters. Forthcoming transient surveys will also provide new constraints on the formation and populations of compact remnants. One important channel, and the focus of this research, is dynamical formation in dense stellar environments like globular clusters (GCs). The Cosmos in Concert program of multimedia shows combining astronomy education and music performance has already successfully presented 16 concerts in 6 states, and will be extended to the southern California area with performances at K-12 schools and universities, and with local symphony orchestras.This is a broad study of the dynamics of BHs in dense star clusters with applications to GW and high-energy astrophysics, covering (i) the rates of massive star collisions and tidal disruption events in realistic GCs; (ii) the dynamical effect of massive BHs on cluster dynamics; (iii) a side-by-side analysis of the differences between compact binary formation in GCs and isolated binary evolution in the galactic field; and (iv) the public release of an extensive database of realistic GC models. The work will significantly aid the development of improved data analysis and detection strategies for next-generation GW observatories and transient surveys. This project advances the goals of the NSF Windows on the Universe Big Idea.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.