Alladi Ramakrishnan Hall

Star Cluster Dynamics and Merging Black Hole Binaries

Sourav Chatterjee

North Western University

Detection of gravitational waves from merging black hole binaries by the
advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatories (aLIGO)
have reignited widespread interest in understanding the astrophysical
origins of black hole binaries. Massive star clusters have been shown
to be efficient factories of binary black holes that would merge in the
local universe. I will talk about massive star cluster evolution with a
focus on how black holes form and dynamically evolve in them. I will
discuss our key results on dynamically created binary black holes, their
detectable properties and put them in the context of the ground-breaking
discoveries by aLIGO.