Low Metallicity Star Formation: a Nursery for Compact Binary Mergers?

          @misc{ pirsa_PIRSA:11100049,
            doi = {10.48660/11100049},
            url = {https://pirsa.org/11100049},
            author = {},
            keywords = {Strong Gravity},
            language = {en},
            title = {Low Metallicity Star Formation: a Nursery for Compact Binary Mergers?},
            publisher = {Perimeter Institute},
            year = {2011},
            month = {oct},
            note = {PIRSA:11100049 see, \url{https://pirsa.org}}
          }
          

Abstract

Most predictions for binary compact object formation are normalized to the present-day Milky Way population. In this talk, I suggest the merger rate of black hole binaries could be exceptionally sensitive to the ill-constrained fraction of low-metallicity star formation that ever occurred on our past light cone. I discuss whether and how observations might distinguish binary evolution uncertainties from this strong trend, both in the near future with well-identified electromagnetic counterparts and in the more distant future via third-generation gravitational wave detectors.