Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

The Role Of Black Hole And Neutron Star Interaction On The Dynamical Evolution Of Dense Stellar Systems, Michael Pajkos

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

With the recent detection of gravitational waves from the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, or LIGO, a new realm of gravitational astrophysics has been opened. As the process of observing gravitational wave signals is still in its infancy, there is a need to provide gravitational astronomers with observable signatures in the electromagnetic spectrum. Hence, we explore the impact of solar mass black holes on the morphology of globular clusters. It has long been thought that due to high kick velocities from compact object gravitational interaction, Galactic age Globular Clusters are unable to retain black holes. Recent simulations, however, suggest that a …