Population synthesis of black hole binary mergers from star clusters

Understand

Black hole (BH) binary mergers formed through dynamical interactions in dense star clusters are believed to be one of the main sources of gravitational waves for Advanced LIGO and Virgo.

• Here we present a fast numerical method for simulating the evolution of star clusters with BHs, including a model for the dynamical formation and merger of BH binaries.
• Our method is based on H\'{e}non's principle of balanced evolution, according to which the flow of energy within a cluster must be balanced by the energy production inside its core.
• Because the heat production in the core is powered by the BHs, one can then link the evolution of the cluster to the evolution of its BH population.