A Study of Primordial Very Massive Star Evolution

TL;DR

This paper models the evolution of primordial very massive stars to predict their final black hole remnants, providing insights relevant for gravitational wave observations of black hole mergers.

Contribution

It introduces new evolutionary models for primordial very massive stars, extending from main sequence to core instability, and predicts black hole remnants up to 1000 solar masses.

Findings

Stars with initial masses around 100 M_sun can produce black holes of 85-90 M_sun.

Predicted black hole masses align with GW190521 event.

Results suggest future gravitational wave detectors will observe black holes in the 10^2-10^4 M_sun range.

Abstract

We present new evolutionary models of primordial very massive stars, with initial masses ranging from $100\,\mathrm{{M}_{\odot}}$ to $1000\,\mathrm{{M}_{\odot}}$, that extend from the main sequence until the onset of dynamical instability caused by the creation of electron-positron pairs during core C, Ne, or O burning, depending on the star's mass and metallicity. Mass loss accounts for radiation-driven winds as well as pulsation-driven mass-loss on the main sequence and during the red supergiant phase. After examining the evolutionary properties, we focus on the final outcome of the models and associated compact remnants. Stars that avoid the pair-instability supernova channel, should produce black holes with masses ranging from $\approx 40\, \mathrm{{M}_{\odot}}$ to $\approx 1000\,\mathrm{{M}_{\odot}}$. In particular, stars with initial masses of about $100\,\mathrm{{M}_{\odot}}$ could leave black holes of $\simeq 85-90\, \mathrm{{M}_{\odot}}$, values consistent with the estimated primary black hole mass of the GW190521 merger event. Overall, these results may contribute to explain future data from next-generation gravitational-wave detectors, such as the Einstein Telescope and Cosmic Explorer, which will have access to as-yet unexplored BH mass range of $\approx 10^2-10^4\,\mathrm{{M}_{\odot}}$ in the early universe.