Multi-Messenger Astrophysics Opportunities with Stellar-Mass Binary Black Hole Mergers

Understand

The conventional view of stellar-mass binary black hole (sBBH) mergers is that there should not be enough matter present to produce a detectable electromagnetic transient.

• However, there ARE a number of mechanisms for producing such a counterpart through accretion of matter from various reserves, charged black holes, or interactions with magnetic or exotic fields.
• After reviewing these mechanisms, we describe what we can learn from multi-messenger observations of sBBH mergers in the areas of stellar evolution and compact binary formation, cosmological measurements, searches for charged black holes, and tests of general relativity and fundamental physics.
• We end with some remarks about the need to support both observing capabilities and modeling in the next decade and beyond.