2025/09/15 by Vaccaro, M. Paola
#FOS: Physical sciences #General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology (gr-qc) #High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena (astro-ph.HE) #History and Philosophy of Physics (physics.hist-ph)
paper · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2509.11886
Understanding the formation and evolution of stellar-mass binary black holes (BBHs) requires a thorough investigation of the key physical processes involved. While one pathway involves the isolated evolution of massive binary stars, affected by uncertain stages like core-collapse supernovae and common envelope evolution, an alternative channel is dynamical formation in dense stellar environments. Newtonian gravity has traditionally provided a robust and computationally efficient framework for modeling large-scale gravitational interactions. However, accurately capturing close encounters and black hole mergers necessitates the use of general relativity. This work focuses on assessing the applicability of post-Newtonian gravity in bridging these regimes, offering a physically insightful and computationally tractable approach to modeling BBH formation in the gravitational-wave era of astronomy.