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Discovery of a dormant 33 solar-mass black hole in pre-release Gaia astrometry

Panuzzo, P. ; Lindegren, L. LU orcid ; Hobbs, D. LU orcid ; Pawlak, M. LU and Zwitter, T. (2024) In Astronomy and Astrophysics 686.
Abstract
Context. Gravitational waves from black-hole (BH) merging events have revealed a population of extra-galactic BHs residing in short-period binaries with masses that are higher than expected based on most stellar evolution models-And also higher than known stellar-origin black holes in our Galaxy. It has been proposed that those high-mass BHs are the remnants of massive metal-poor stars. Aims. Gaia astrometry is expected to uncover many Galactic wide-binary systems containing dormant BHs, which may not have been detected before. The study of this population will provide new information on the BH-mass distribution in binaries and shed light on their formation mechanisms and progenitors. Methods. As part of the validation efforts in... (More)
Context. Gravitational waves from black-hole (BH) merging events have revealed a population of extra-galactic BHs residing in short-period binaries with masses that are higher than expected based on most stellar evolution models-And also higher than known stellar-origin black holes in our Galaxy. It has been proposed that those high-mass BHs are the remnants of massive metal-poor stars. Aims. Gaia astrometry is expected to uncover many Galactic wide-binary systems containing dormant BHs, which may not have been detected before. The study of this population will provide new information on the BH-mass distribution in binaries and shed light on their formation mechanisms and progenitors. Methods. As part of the validation efforts in preparation for the fourth Gaia data release (DR4), we analysed the preliminary astrometric binary solutions, obtained by the Gaia Non-Single Star pipeline, to verify their significance and to minimise false-detection rates in high-mass-function orbital solutions. Results. The astrometric binary solution of one source, Gaia BH3, implies the presence of a 32.70a ±a 0.82aM- BH in a binary system with a period of 11.6 yr. Gaia radial velocities independently validate the astrometric orbit. Broad-band photometric and spectroscopic data show that the visible component is an old, very metal-poor giant of the Galactic halo, at a distance of 590 pc. Conclusions. The BH in the Gaia BH3 system is more massive than any other Galactic stellar-origin BH known thus far. The low metallicity of the star companion supports the scenario that metal-poor massive stars are progenitors of the high-mass BHs detected by gravitational-wave telescopes. The Galactic orbit of the system and its metallicity indicate that it might belong to the Sequoia halo substructure. Alternatively, and more plausibly, it could belong to the ED-2 stream, which likely originated from a globular cluster that had been disrupted by the Milky Way. © 2024 Authors. (Less)
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keywords
Astrometry, Binaries: spectroscopic, Stars: black holes, Stars: evolution, Stars: massive, Stars: Population II, Astrophysics, Black holes, Galaxies, Gravitational effects, Stars, Systems (metallurgical), Binary systems, Gravitational-waves, Star: evolution, Stellars, Gravity waves
in
Astronomy and Astrophysics
volume
686
article number
L2
publisher
EDP Sciences
external identifiers
  • scopus:85194947351
ISSN
0004-6361
DOI
10.1051/0004-6361/202449763
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
Number of authors = 415 EID = 85194947351 Article no = L2 Affiliation = Panuzzo P., GEPI, Observatoire de Paris, Université PSL, CNRS, 5 Place Jules Janssen, Meudon, 92190, France Affiliation = Župiä A., CIGUS CITIC-Department of Computer Science and Information Technologies, University of A Coruña, Campus de Elviña s/n, A Coruña, 15071, Spain Affiliation = Zwitter T., Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana, Jadranska ulica 19, Ljubljana, 1000, Slovenia
id
6a879d1c-7e4a-4dde-9958-f6b523afb7d7
date added to LUP
2024-08-29 14:37:09
date last changed
2024-08-29 14:38:08
@article{6a879d1c-7e4a-4dde-9958-f6b523afb7d7,
  abstract     = {{Context. Gravitational waves from black-hole (BH) merging events have revealed a population of extra-galactic BHs residing in short-period binaries with masses that are higher than expected based on most stellar evolution models-And also higher than known stellar-origin black holes in our Galaxy. It has been proposed that those high-mass BHs are the remnants of massive metal-poor stars. Aims. Gaia astrometry is expected to uncover many Galactic wide-binary systems containing dormant BHs, which may not have been detected before. The study of this population will provide new information on the BH-mass distribution in binaries and shed light on their formation mechanisms and progenitors. Methods. As part of the validation efforts in preparation for the fourth Gaia data release (DR4), we analysed the preliminary astrometric binary solutions, obtained by the Gaia Non-Single Star pipeline, to verify their significance and to minimise false-detection rates in high-mass-function orbital solutions. Results. The astrometric binary solution of one source, Gaia BH3, implies the presence of a 32.70a ±a 0.82aM- BH in a binary system with a period of 11.6 yr. Gaia radial velocities independently validate the astrometric orbit. Broad-band photometric and spectroscopic data show that the visible component is an old, very metal-poor giant of the Galactic halo, at a distance of 590 pc. Conclusions. The BH in the Gaia BH3 system is more massive than any other Galactic stellar-origin BH known thus far. The low metallicity of the star companion supports the scenario that metal-poor massive stars are progenitors of the high-mass BHs detected by gravitational-wave telescopes. The Galactic orbit of the system and its metallicity indicate that it might belong to the Sequoia halo substructure. Alternatively, and more plausibly, it could belong to the ED-2 stream, which likely originated from a globular cluster that had been disrupted by the Milky Way.  © 2024 Authors.}},
  author       = {{Panuzzo, P. and Lindegren, L. and Hobbs, D. and Pawlak, M. and Zwitter, T.}},
  issn         = {{0004-6361}},
  keywords     = {{Astrometry; Binaries: spectroscopic; Stars: black holes; Stars: evolution; Stars: massive; Stars: Population II; Astrophysics; Black holes; Galaxies; Gravitational effects; Stars; Systems (metallurgical); Binary systems; Gravitational-waves; Star: evolution; Stellars; Gravity waves}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{EDP Sciences}},
  series       = {{Astronomy and Astrophysics}},
  title        = {{Discovery of a dormant 33 solar-mass black hole in pre-release Gaia astrometry}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202449763}},
  doi          = {{10.1051/0004-6361/202449763}},
  volume       = {{686}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}