Probing Binary Black Hole Formation Channels through Cosmic Large-Scale Structure

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel method to distinguish binary black hole formation channels by analyzing their spatial clustering in large-scale cosmic structures, leveraging simulations and future gravitational-wave detector sensitivities.

Contribution

The study presents a new framework linking gravitational-wave sources with cosmic large-scale structure to identify black hole formation pathways.

Findings

Distinct clustering signatures for different formation channels at low redshift.

Next-generation detectors can differentiate channels up to redshift 5.

Cross-correlation with matter distribution constrains formation mechanisms.

Abstract

The growing number of binary black hole mergers detected through gravitational waves offers unprecedented insight into their underlying population, yet their astrophysical formation channels remain unresolved. We present a new method to distinguish binary black hole formation channels using their spatial clustering at cosmological scales. Employing the cosmological hydrodynamic simulation Illustris, we trace the distribution of mergers across cosmic time and compare them with the underlying matter distribution associated with three candidate origins: isolated binary stellar evolution, binaries embedded in AGN disks, and primordial black holes within dark matter halos. For mergers at redshift $z \lesssim 0.5$, these channels show distinct clustering signatures that could be accessible with proposed upgrades to current ground-based gravitational-wave detectors. Using mock catalogs for next- generation facilities such as Cosmic Explorer, we find that their sensitivities would enable differentiation of these formation pathways out to redshift $z \sim 5$ within the first decade of observations. This approach provides a new framework to link gravitational-wave populations with the large-scale structure of the Universe. By treating black hole mergers as cosmological tracers, our results demonstrate how cross- correlations between gravitational-wave catalogs and the cosmic matter field can constrain the relative contribution of stellar, AGN, and primordial channels, offering a complementary probe to population- inference studies. These findings underscore the emerging potential of gravitational-wave cosmology to reveal where and how black holes form and merge across cosmic history.