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

凯尔克莱默被授予美国国家科学基金会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进行研究和教育计划。 在接下来的几年里，来自合并黑洞（BH）和中子星的引力波（GW）探测列表预计将大幅增长，解释这些源的属性需要详细了解密集星星集群的作用。 即将进行的瞬态勘测也将对致密残留物的形成和数量提供新的限制。 一个重要的渠道，也是这项研究的重点，是在稠密的恒星环境中，如球状星团（GC）的动力学形成。 “宇宙音乐会”是一个结合天文教育和音乐表演的多媒体节目，已经在6个州成功举办了16场音乐会，并将扩展到南部加州地区，在K-12学校和大学以及当地交响乐团演出。这是一个广泛的研究密集星星集群中黑洞动力学的项目，并将其应用于GW和高能天体物理学。涵盖（i）大质量星星碰撞和潮汐破裂事件在现实GC的比率;（ii）大质量黑洞对星团动力学的影响;（iii）在GC中紧密双星形成和在银河场中孤立双星演化之间差异的并行分析;以及（iv）公开发布现实GC模型的广泛数据库。 这项工作将大大有助于改进下一代GW观测站和瞬态调查的数据分析和检测策略。 该项目推进了NSF宇宙大创意窗口的目标。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值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.