GW231123 Formation from Population III Stars: Isolated Binary Evolution

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Main Authors: Tanikawa, Ataru, Liu, Shuai, Wu, WeiWei, Fujii, Michiko S., Wang, Long
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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_version_ 1866910222871691264
author Tanikawa, Ataru
Liu, Shuai
Wu, WeiWei
Fujii, Michiko S.
Wang, Long
author_facet Tanikawa, Ataru
Liu, Shuai
Wu, WeiWei
Fujii, Michiko S.
Wang, Long
contents GW231123 is a merger of two black holes (BHs) with estimated masses exceeding $100\;{\rm M}_{\odot}$, making them the most massive BHs discovered to date via gravitational wave (GW) observations. We investigate whether GW231123-like events can originate from isolated Population (Pop) III binary stars using binary population synthesis calculations. Our findings indicate that isolated Pop III binaries can produce GW231123-like events at a rate sufficient to explain the discovery of GW231123, provided that three conditions are met: (i) Pop III stars evolve with inefficient convective overshooting, (ii) the $^{12}\text{C}(α, γ)^{16}\text{O}$ rate is $2σ$ lower than the standard value, and (iii) Pop III binary stars share the same orbital parameters as Pop I/II binary stars at the initial time. In contrast, GW190521 -- the most massive BH merger in the Gravitational Wave Transient Catalog 3 -- can be formed from isolated Pop III binaries even with the standard $^{12}\text{C}(α, γ)^{16}\text{O}$ rate. We demonstrate that the discovery of GW231123 is increasingly constraining the parameter ranges of single star evolution models, under the assumption that these GW events originate from isolated binary evolution.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2508_01135
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle GW231123 Formation from Population III Stars: Isolated Binary Evolution
Tanikawa, Ataru
Liu, Shuai
Wu, WeiWei
Fujii, Michiko S.
Wang, Long
Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
GW231123 is a merger of two black holes (BHs) with estimated masses exceeding $100\;{\rm M}_{\odot}$, making them the most massive BHs discovered to date via gravitational wave (GW) observations. We investigate whether GW231123-like events can originate from isolated Population (Pop) III binary stars using binary population synthesis calculations. Our findings indicate that isolated Pop III binaries can produce GW231123-like events at a rate sufficient to explain the discovery of GW231123, provided that three conditions are met: (i) Pop III stars evolve with inefficient convective overshooting, (ii) the $^{12}\text{C}(α, γ)^{16}\text{O}$ rate is $2σ$ lower than the standard value, and (iii) Pop III binary stars share the same orbital parameters as Pop I/II binary stars at the initial time. In contrast, GW190521 -- the most massive BH merger in the Gravitational Wave Transient Catalog 3 -- can be formed from isolated Pop III binaries even with the standard $^{12}\text{C}(α, γ)^{16}\text{O}$ rate. We demonstrate that the discovery of GW231123 is increasingly constraining the parameter ranges of single star evolution models, under the assumption that these GW events originate from isolated binary evolution.
title GW231123 Formation from Population III Stars: Isolated Binary Evolution
topic Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.01135