Gravitational-waves provide a unique probe of the stellar remnants---black holes and neutron stars---left behind at the end of massive stars lives. On the 14th September 2015 the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) made the first direct detection of gravitational waves from a merging stellar mass binary black hole, GW150914, during its first observation run (O1). In this thesis we present Compact Object Mergers: Population Astrophysics and Statistics (COMPAS). COMPAS is a platform incorporating astrophysical modelling tools and statistical analysis tools to extract information from the population of merging binary black holes we observe. We demonstrate that the masses, spins and observed rate of binary black holes can offer new insights into their formation.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:720754 |
| Date | January 2017 |
| Creators | Stevenson, Simon |
| Publisher | University of Birmingham |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://etheses.bham.ac.uk//id/eprint/7667/ |
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