Black holes as the end state of stellar evolution: Theory and simulations

TL;DR

This paper reviews the theoretical and simulation-based understanding of black hole formation from massive star collapse, covering various evolutionary pathways, formation conditions, and implications for stellar-mass black holes.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of black hole formation channels, current theoretical models, and the impact of stellar evolution and binary interactions, integrating recent simulations and observations.

Findings

Multiple pathways to black hole formation identified

Parameter space for black hole birth characterized

Implications for stellar-mass black hole populations discussed

Abstract

The collapse of massive stars is one of the most-studied paths to black hole formation. In this chapter, we review black hole formation during the collapse of massive stars in the broader context of single and binary stellar evolution and the theory of supernova explosions. We provide a concise overview of the evolutionary channels that may lead to black hole formation -- the classical route of iron core collapse, collapse due to pair instability in very massive stars, and the hypothetical scenario of supermassive star collapse. We then review the current understanding of the parameter space for black hole formation and black hole birth properties that has emerged from theoretical and computational modelling of supernova explosions and transient observations. Finally, we discuss what the intricate interplay between stellar evolution, stellar explosions, and binary interactions implies for the formation of stellar-mass black holes.