GW231123: Binary Black Hole Merger or Cosmic String?
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arXiv
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2025
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| _version_ | 1866912832563445760 |
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| author | Cuceu, Iuliu Bizouard, Marie Anne Christensen, Nelson Sakellariadou, Mairi |
| author_facet | Cuceu, Iuliu Bizouard, Marie Anne Christensen, Nelson Sakellariadou, Mairi |
| contents | The LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA Collaboration recently reported an exceptional gravitational-wave event, GW231123. This gravitational-wave signal was assumed to be generated from the merger of a binary black hole system, with source frame masses of $137^{+22}_{-17}~\textup{M}_\odot$ and $103^{+20}_{-52}~ \textup{M}_\odot$ (90\% credible intervals). As seen by the two LIGO detectors, the signal has only $\sim 5$ cycles, between 30 and 80 Hz, over $\sim 10$ ms. It is of critical importance to confirm the origin of this signal. Here we present the results of a Bayesian model comparison to test whether the gravitational-wave signal was actually generated by a binary black hole merger, or emitted from cusps or kinks on a cosmic string. We find significant evidence for a binary black hole merger origin of the signal. |
| format | Preprint |
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arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2507_20778 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | GW231123: Binary Black Hole Merger or Cosmic String? Cuceu, Iuliu Bizouard, Marie Anne Christensen, Nelson Sakellariadou, Mairi General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics The LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA Collaboration recently reported an exceptional gravitational-wave event, GW231123. This gravitational-wave signal was assumed to be generated from the merger of a binary black hole system, with source frame masses of $137^{+22}_{-17}~\textup{M}_\odot$ and $103^{+20}_{-52}~ \textup{M}_\odot$ (90\% credible intervals). As seen by the two LIGO detectors, the signal has only $\sim 5$ cycles, between 30 and 80 Hz, over $\sim 10$ ms. It is of critical importance to confirm the origin of this signal. Here we present the results of a Bayesian model comparison to test whether the gravitational-wave signal was actually generated by a binary black hole merger, or emitted from cusps or kinks on a cosmic string. We find significant evidence for a binary black hole merger origin of the signal. |
| title | GW231123: Binary Black Hole Merger or Cosmic String? |
| topic | General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.20778 |