The Impact of High-Mass Clusters on the Binary Black Hole Merger Rate over Cosmic Time
The study uses a Cluster Monte Carlo (CMC) code to model how dense star clusters evolve over cosmic time to predict binary black hole (BBH) merger rates. The results show that low-mass clusters dominate the local merger rate, and high-metallicity clusters are more prolific at low redshift. The exact mass function parameters significantly affect the predicted merger rates and black hole properties.