Intermediate-Mass Black Holes in Star Clusters and Dwarf Galaxies

Understand

Black holes (BHs) with masses between 100 to 100,000 times the mass of the Sun ($\rm{M}_{\odot}$) are classified as intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs), potentially representing a crucial link between stellar-mass and supermassive BHs.

• Stellar-mass BHs are endpoints of the evolution of stars initially more massive than roughly 20 $\rm{M}_{\odot}$ and generally weigh about 10 to 100 $\rm{M}_{\odot}$.
• Supermassive BHs are found in the centre of many galaxies and weigh between $10^{6}$ to $10^{10} \ \rm{M}_{\odot}$.
• The origin of supermassive BHs remains an unresolved problem in astrophysics, with many viable pathways suggesting that they undergo an intermediate-mass phase.