Stellar mergers and beyond

Not only black holes can merge. Before being black holes, these objects were once massive stars. Stars are forged inside chaotic and crowded environments called young star clusters. There, they can interact with each other and, sometimes, they merge to produce even more massive stars. In my research, I study the history of these stars from their birth up to their death. I simulate their dynamical and stellar evolution and I study how the surrounding environment impacts their life and afterlife when they become massive black holes.