Discovery of a dormant 33 solar-mass black hole in pre-release Gaia astrometry

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L. and Hilger, T. and Hobbs, D. and Hottier, C. and Huckle, H. E. and Jiménez-Arranz, Ó. and Juaristi Campillo, J. and Kaczmarek, Z. and Kervella, P. and Khanna, S. and Kontizas, M. and Kordopatis, G. and Korn, A. J. and Kóspál, Á and Kostrzewa-Rutkowska, Z. and Kruszyńska, K. and Kun, M. and Lambert, S. and Lanza, A. F. and Lebreton, Y. and Lebzelter, T. and Leccia, S. and Lecoutre, G. and Liao, S. and Liberato, L. and Licata, E. and Livanou, E. and Lobel, A. and López-Miralles, J. and Loup, C. and Madarász, M. and Mahy, L. and Mann, R. G. and Manteiga, M. and Marcellino, C. P. and Marchant, J. M. and Marconi, M. and Marín Pina, D. and Marinoni, S. and Marshall, D. J. and Martín Lozano, J. and Martin Polo, L. and Martín-Fleitas, J. M. and Marton, G. and Mascarenhas, D. and Masip, A. and Mastrobuono-Battisti, A. and McMillan, P. J. and Meichsner, J. and Merc, J. and Messina, S. and Millar, N. 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A. and Sadowski, G. and Sagristà Sellés, A. and Sanna, N. and Santoveña, R. and Sarasso, M. and Sarmiento, M. H. and Sarrate Riera, C. and Sciacca, E. and Ségransan, D. and Semczuk, M. and Shahaf, S. and Siebert, A. and Slezak, E. and Smart, R. L. and Snaith, O. N. and Solano, E. and Solitro, F. and Souami, D. and Souchay, J. and Spitoni, E. and Spoto, F. and Squillante, L. A. and Steele, I. A. and Steidelmüller, H. and Surdej, J. and Szabados, L. and Taris, F. and Taylor, M. B. and Teixeira, R. and Tepper-Garcia, T. and Thuillot, W. and Tolomei, L. and Tonello, N. and Torra, F. and Torralba Elipe, G. and Trabucchi, M. and Trentin, E. and Tsantaki, M. and Turon, C. and Ulla, A. and Unger, N. and Valtchanov, I. and Vanel, O. and Vecchiato, A. and Vicente, D. and Villar, E. and Weiler, M. and Zhao, H. and Zorec, J. and Zucker, S. and Župić, A. and Zwitter, T. (2024) Discovery of a dormant 33 solar-mass black hole in pre-release Gaia astrometry. ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS, 686. No. L2. ISSN 0004-6361

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Abstract

Context. Gravitational waves from black-hole (BH) merging events have revealed a population of extra-galactic BHs residing in short-period binaries with masses that are higher than expected based on most stellar evolution models – and also higher than known stellar-origin black holes in our Galaxy. It has been proposed that those high-mass BHs are the remnants of massive metal-poor stars. Aims. Gaia astrometry is expected to uncover many Galactic wide-binary systems containing dormant BHs, which may not have been detected before. The study of this population will provide new information on the BH-mass distribution in binaries and shed light on their formation mechanisms and progenitors. Methods. As part of the validation efforts in preparation for the fourth Gaia data release (DR4), we analysed the preliminary astrometric binary solutions, obtained by the Gaia Non-Single Star pipeline, to verify their significance and to minimise false-detection rates in high-mass-function orbital solutions. Results. The astrometric binary solution of one source, Gaia BH3, implies the presence of a 32.70 ± 0.82 M BH in a binary system with a period of 11.6 yr. Gaia radial velocities independently validate the astrometric orbit. Broad-band photometric and spectroscopic data show that the visible component is an old, very metal-poor giant of the Galactic halo, at a distance of 590 pc. Conclusions. The BH in the Gaia BH3 system is more massive than any other Galactic stellar-origin BH known thus far. The low metallicity of the star companion supports the scenario that metal-poor massive stars are progenitors of the high-mass BHs detected by gravitational-wave telescopes. The Galactic orbit of the system and its metallicity indicate that it might belong to the Sequoia halo substructure. Alternatively, and more plausibly, it could belong to the ED-2 stream, which likely originated from a globular cluster that had been disrupted by the Milky Way.

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