GW190521: A Binary Black Hole Merger with a Total Mass of 150 M

(LIGO Scientific Collaboration and Virgo Collaboration)

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.125.101102

GW190521: A Binary Black Hole Merger with a Total Mass of 150 M

(LIGO Scientific Collaboration and Virgo Collaboration)

Physics and Astronomy

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

955 Scopus citations

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 Mm and 66-18+17 Mm (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 Mm. We calculate the mass of the remnant to be 142-16+28 Mm, 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 0.13-0.11+0.30 Gpc-3 yr-1.

Original language	English
Article number	101102
Journal	Physical Review Letters
Volume	125
Issue number	10
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.125.101102
State	Published - 4 Sep 2020

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10.1103/PhysRevLett.125.101102

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@article{7a37dc36514a4bff87198d37d62f1054,

title = "GW190521: A Binary Black Hole Merger with a Total Mass of 150 M",

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 Mm and 66-18+17 Mm (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 Mm. We calculate the mass of the remnant to be 142-16+28 Mm, 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 0.13-0.11+0.30 Gpc-3 yr-1.",

author = "{(LIGO Scientific Collaboration and Virgo Collaboration)} and R. Abbott and Abbott, {T. D.} and S. Abraham and F. Acernese and K. Ackley and C. Adams and Adhikari, {R. X.} and Adya, {V. B.} and C. Affeldt and M. Agathos and K. Agatsuma and N. Aggarwal and Aguiar, {O. D.} and A. Aich and L. Aiello and A. Ain and P. Ajith and S. Akcay and G. Allen and A. Allocca and Altin, {P. A.} and A. Amato and S. Anand and A. Ananyeva and Anderson, {S. B.} and Anderson, {W. G.} and Angelova, {S. V.} and S. Ansoldi and S. Antier and S. Appert and K. Arai and Araya, {M. C.} and Areeda, {J. S.} and M. Ar{\`e}ne and N. Arnaud and Aronson, {S. M.} and Arun, {K. G.} and Y. Asali and S. Ascenzi and G. Ashton and Aston, {S. M.} and P. Astone and F. Aubin and P. Aufmuth and K. Aultoneal and C. Austin and V. Avendano and S. Babak and M. Favata and Martin, {R. M.}",

year = "2020",

month = sep,

day = "4",

doi = "10.1103/PhysRevLett.125.101102",

language = "English",

volume = "125",

journal = "Physical Review Letters",

issn = "0031-9007",

publisher = "American Physical Society",

number = "10",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - GW190521

T2 - A Binary Black Hole Merger with a Total Mass of 150 M

AU - (LIGO Scientific Collaboration and Virgo Collaboration)

AU - Abbott, R.

AU - Abbott, T. D.

AU - Abraham, S.

AU - Acernese, F.

AU - Ackley, K.

AU - Adams, C.

AU - Adhikari, R. X.

AU - Adya, V. B.

AU - Affeldt, C.

AU - Agathos, M.

AU - Agatsuma, K.

AU - Aggarwal, N.

AU - Aguiar, O. D.

AU - Aich, A.

AU - Aiello, L.

AU - Ain, A.

AU - Ajith, P.

AU - Akcay, S.

AU - Allen, G.

AU - Allocca, A.

AU - Altin, P. A.

AU - Amato, A.

AU - Anand, S.

AU - Ananyeva, A.

AU - Anderson, S. B.

AU - Anderson, W. G.

AU - Angelova, S. V.

AU - Ansoldi, S.

AU - Antier, S.

AU - Appert, S.

AU - Arai, K.

AU - Araya, M. C.

AU - Areeda, J. S.

AU - Arène, M.

AU - Arnaud, N.

AU - Aronson, S. M.

AU - Arun, K. G.

AU - Asali, Y.

AU - Ascenzi, S.

AU - Ashton, G.

AU - Aston, S. M.

AU - Astone, P.

AU - Aubin, F.

AU - Aufmuth, P.

AU - Aultoneal, K.

AU - Austin, C.

AU - Avendano, V.

AU - Babak, S.

AU - Favata, M.

AU - Martin, R. M.

PY - 2020/9/4

Y1 - 2020/9/4

N2 - 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 Mm and 66-18+17 Mm (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 Mm. We calculate the mass of the remnant to be 142-16+28 Mm, 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 0.13-0.11+0.30 Gpc-3 yr-1.

AB - 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 Mm and 66-18+17 Mm (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 Mm. We calculate the mass of the remnant to be 142-16+28 Mm, 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 0.13-0.11+0.30 Gpc-3 yr-1.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85091469786&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1103/PhysRevLett.125.101102

DO - 10.1103/PhysRevLett.125.101102

M3 - Article

C2 - 32955328

AN - SCOPUS:85091469786

SN - 0031-9007

VL - 125

JO - Physical Review Letters

JF - Physical Review Letters

IS - 10

M1 - 101102

ER -

GW190521: A Binary Black Hole Merger with a Total Mass of 150 M

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