Dynamics

Binary black holes stand as one of the principal sources of gravitational waves in the Universe. Emitting ripples in the fabric of spacetime, black holes gradually spiral closer, eventually culminating in a merger. Binary black hole mergers stand out as the most energetic events in the Universe, observable from Earth with laser detectors known as interferometers. The ideal environment for the formation of binary black hole mergers is within star clusters – crowded neighborhoods of stars held together by gravity, where dynamical interactions between celestial bodies occur. In my research, I explore the mechanisms through which these interactions between stars and black holes lead to the formation of binary black hole mergers, with a particular focus on binary-single encounters.

Eccentric mergers are a signature of the dynamical formation channel of binary black holes (BBHs) in dense stellar environments and …

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.

GW190521 is the most massive binary black hole (BBH) merger observed to date, and its primary component lies in the pair-instability …