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GW190521: a binary black hole merger with a total mass of 150  M

  • LIGO Scientific Collaboration and Virgo Collaboration
  • , R. Abbott
  • , T. D. Abbott
  • , S. Abraham
  • , F. Acernese
  • , K. Ackley
  • , C. Adams
  • , R. X. Adhikari
  • , V. B. Adya
  • , C. Affeldt
  • , M. Agathos
  • , K. Agatsuma
  • , N. Aggarwal
  • , O. D. Aguiar
  • , A. Aich
  • , L. Aiello
  • , A. Ain
  • , P. Ajith
  • , S. Akcay
  • , G. Allen
  • A. Allocca, P. A. Altin, A. Amato, S. Anand, A. Ananyeva, S. B. Anderson, W. G. Anderson, S. V. Angelova, S. Ansoldi, S. Antier, S. Appert, K. Arai, M. C. Araya, J. S. Areeda, M. Arène, N. Arnaud, S. M. Aronson, K. G. Arun, Y. Asali, S. Ascenzi, G. Ashton, S. M. Aston, P. Astone, F. Aubin, P. Aufmuth, K. AultONeal, C. Austin, R. Birney, D. R. Gibson, G. Rutins, D. J. Vine

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

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    Abstract

    On May 21, 2019 at 03:02:29 UTC Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo observed a short duration gravitational-wave signal, GW190521, with a three-detector network signal-to-noise ratio of 14.7, and an estimated false-alarm rate of 1 in 4900 yr using a search sensitive to generic transients. If GW190521 is from a quasicircular binary inspiral, then the detected signal is consistent with the merger of two black holes with masses of 85-14+21  M and 66-18+17  M (90% credible intervals). We infer that the primary black hole mass lies within the gap produced by (pulsational) pair-instability supernova processes, with only a 0.32% probability of being below 65  M. We calculate the mass of the remnant to be 142-16+28  M, which can be considered an intermediate mass black hole (IMBH). The luminosity distance of the source is 5.3-2.6+2.4  Gpc, corresponding to a redshift of 0.82-0.34+0.28. The inferred rate of mergers similar to GW190521 is 0.130.11+0.30  Gpc-3 yr-1.
    Original languageEnglish
    Article number101102
    Number of pages17
    JournalPhysical Review Letters
    Volume125
    Issue number10
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2 Sept 2020

    Keywords

    • gravitational wave astronomy
    • gravitational wave sources
    • astrophysical black holes
    • compact binary stars
    • gravitational waves
    • gravitational wave detectors

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