GW190521: A Binary Black Hole Merger with a Total Mass of 150 M_o

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LIGO-P2000020-v12
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P - Publications
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Abstract:
On May 21, 2019 at 03:02:29 UTC Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo observed a short duration gravitational-wave signal, GW190521, with a three-detector network signal-to-noise ratio of 14.7, and an estimated false-alarm rate of 1 in 4900 yr using a search sensitive to generic transients. If GW190521 is from a quasicircular binary inspiral, then the detected signal is consistent with the merger of two black holes with masses of $$85^{+21}_{-14} M_{\odot}$$ and $$66^{+17}_{-18} M_{\odot}$$ ($$90\%$$ credible intervals). We infer that the primary black hole mass lies within the gap produced by (pulsational) pair-instability supernova processes, and has only a $$0.32 \%$$ probability of being below $$65 M_{\odot}$$. We calculate the mass of the remnant to be $$142^{+28}_{-16} M_{\odot}$$, which can be considered an intermediate mass black hole (IMBH). The luminosity distance of the source is $$5.3^{+2.4}_{-2.6}$$ Gpc, corresponding to a redshift of $$0.82^{+0.28}_{-0.34}$$. The inferred rate of mergers similar to GW190521 is $$0.13^{+0.30}_{-0.11}\,\mathrm{Gpc}^{-3}\,\mathrm{yr}^{-1}$$.
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