Direct Statistical Constraints on the Natal Kick velocity of a Black Hole in an X-ray Quiet Binary

Understand

In recent years, a handful of ``dark" binaries have been discovered with a non-luminous compact object.

• Astrometry and radial velocity measurements of the bright companion allow us to measure the post-supernova orbital elements of such a binary.
• In this paper, we develop a statistical formalism to use such measurements to infer the pre-supernova orbital elements, and the natal kick imparted by the supernova (SN).
• We apply this formalism to the recent discovery of an X-ray quiet binary with a black hole, VFTS 243, in the Large Magellanic Cloud.