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GW190521: A Binary Black Hole Merger with a Total Mass of 150  M⊙

R. Abbott1, T. D. Abbott2, S. Abraham3, F. Acernese4,5, K. Ackley6, C. Adams7, R. X. Adhikari1, V. B. Adya8, C. Affeldt9,10 et al. (LIGO Scientific Collaboration and Virgo Collaboration)

C. Affeldt9,10, M. Agathos11,12, K. Agatsuma13, N. Aggarwal14, O. D. Aguiar15, A. Aich16, L. Aiello17,18, A. Ain3, P. Ajith19, S. Akcay11, G. Allen20, A. Allocca21, P. A. Altin8, A. Amato22, S. Anand1, A. Ananyeva1, S. B. Anderson1, W. G. Anderson23, S. V. Angelova24, S. Ansoldi25,26, S. Antier27, S. Appert1, K. Arai1, M. C. Araya1, J. S. Areeda28, M. Arène27, N. Arnaud29,30, S. M. Aronson31, K. G. Arun32, Y. Asali33, S. Ascenzi17,34, G. Ashton6, S. M. Aston7, P. Astone35, F. Aubin36, P. Aufmuth10, K. AultONeal37, C. Austin2, V. Avendano38, S. Babak27, P. Bacon27, F. Badaracco17,18, M. K. M. Bader39, S. Bae40, A. M. Baer41, J. Baird27, F. Baldaccini42,43, G. Ballardin30, S. W. Ballmer44, A. Bals37, A. Balsamo41, G. Baltus45, S. Banagiri46, D. Bankar3, R. S. Bankar3, J. C. Barayoga1, C. Barbieri47,48, B. C. Barish1, D. Barker49, K. Barkett50, P. Barneo51, F. Barone52,5, B. Barr53, L. Barsotti54, M. Barsuglia27, D. Barta55, J. Bartlett49, I. Bartos31, R. Bassiri56, A. Basti57,21, M. Bawaj58,43, J. C. Bayley53, M. Bazzan59,60, B. Bécsy61, M. Bejger62, I. Belahcene29, A. S. Bell53, D. Beniwal63, M. G. Benjamin37, J. D. Bentley13, F. Bergamin9, B. K. Berger56, G. Bergmann9,10, S. Bernuzzi11, C. P. L. Berry14, D. Bersanetti64, A. Bertolini39, J. Betzwieser7, R. Bhandare65, A. V. Bhandari3, J. Bidler28, E. Biggs23, I. A. Bilenko66, G. Billingsley1, I. A. Birney67, O. Birnholtz68,69, S. Biscans1,54, M. Bischi70,71, S. Biscoveanu54, A. Bisht10, G. Bissenbayeva16, M. Bitossi30,21, M. A. Bizouard72, J. K. Blackburn1, J. Blackman50, C. D. Blair7, D. G. Blair73, R. M. Blair49, F. Bobba74,75, N. Bode9,10, M. Boer72, Y. Boetzel76, G. Bogaert72, F. Bondu77, E. Bonilla56, R. Bonnand36, P. Booker9,10, B. A. Boom39, R. Bork1, V. Boschi21, S. Bose3, V. Bossilkov73, J. Bosveld73, Y. Bouffanais59,60, A. Bozzi30, C. Bradaschia21, P. R. Brady23, A. Bramley7, M. Branchesi17,18, J. E. Brau78, M. Breschi11, T. Briant79, J. H. Briggs53, F. Brighenti70,71, A. Brillet72, M. Brinkmann9,10, P. Brockill23, A. F. Brooks1, J. Brooks30, D. D. Brown63, S. Brunett1, G. Bruno80, R. Bruntz41, A. Buikema54, T. Bulik81, H. J. Bulten82,39, A. Buonanno83,84, R. Buscicchio13, D. Buskulic36, R. L. Byer56, M. Cabero9,10, L. Cadonati85, G. Cagnoli86, C. Cahillane1, J. Calderón Bustillo6, J. D. Callaghan53, T. A. Callister1, E. Calloni87,5, J. B. Camp88, M. Canepa89,64, K. C. Cannon90, H. Cao63, J. Cao91, G. Carapella74,75, F. Carbognani30, S. Caride92, M. F. Carney14, G. Carullo57,21, J. Casanueva Diaz21, C. Casentini93,34, J. Castañeda51, S. Caudill39, M. Cavaglià94, F. Cavalier29, R. Cavalieri30, G. Cella21, P. Cerdá-Durán95, E. Cesarini96,34, O. Chaibi72, K. Chakravarti3, C. Chan90, M. Chan53, K. Chandra97, S. Chao98, P. Charlton99, E. A. Chase14, E. Chassande-Mottin27, D. Chatterjee23, M. Chaturvedi65, K. Chatziioannou100,101, H. Y. Chen102, X. Chen73, Y. Chen50, H.-P. Cheng31, C. K. Cheong103, H. Y. Chia31, F. Chiadini104,75, R. Chierici105, A. Chincarini64, A. 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Fritschel54, V. V. Frolov7, G. Fronzè139, P. Fulda31, M. Fyffe7, H. A. Gabbard53, B. U. Gadre83, S. M. Gaebel13, J. R. Gair83, S. Galaudage6, D. Ganapathy54, A. Ganguly19, S. G. Gaonkar3, C. García-Quirós110, F. Garufi87,5, B. Gateley49, S. Gaudio37, V. Gayathri97, G. Gemme64, E. Genin30, A. Gennai21, D. George20, J. George65, L. Gergely140, S. Ghonge85, Abhirup Ghosh83, Archisman Ghosh141,142,143,39, S. Ghosh23, B. Giacomazzo125,126, J. A. Giaime2,7, K. D. Giardina7, D. R. Gibson67, C. Gier24, K. Gill33, J. Glanzer2, J. Gniesmer118, P. Godwin132, E. Goetz2,94, R. Goetz31, N. Gohlke9,10, B. Goncharov6, G. González2, A. Gopakumar144, S. E. Gossan1, M. Gosselin30,57,21, R. Gouaty36, B. Grace8, A. Grado145,5, M. Granata22, A. Grant53, S. Gras54, P. Grassia1, C. Gray49, R. Gray53, G. Greco70,71, A. C. Green31, R. Green113, E. M. Gretarsson37, H. L. Griggs85, G. Grignani42,43, A. Grimaldi125,126, S. J. Grimm17,18, H. Grote113, S. Grunewald83, P. Gruning29, G. M. Guidi70,71, A. R. 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Pagano57,21, M. A. Page73, G. Pagliaroli17,18, A. Pai97, S. A. Pai65, J. R. Palamos78, O. Palashov155, C. Palomba35, H. Pan98, P. K. Panda150, P. T. H. Pang39, C. Pankow14, F. Pannarale127,35, B. C. Pant65, F. Paoletti21, A. Paoli30, A. Parida3, W. Parker7,175, D. Pascucci53,39, A. Pasqualetti30, R. Passaquieti57,21, D. Passuello21, B. Patricelli57,21, E. Payne6, B. L. Pearlstone53, T. C. Pechsiri31, A. J. Pedersen44, M. Pedraza1, A. Pele7, S. Penn186, A. Perego125,126, C. J. Perez49, C. Périgois36, A. Perreca125,126, S. Perriès105, J. Petermann118, H. P. Pfeiffer83, M. Phelps9,10, K. S. Phukon3,168,39, O. J. Piccinni127,35, M. Pichot72, M. Piendibene57,21, F. Piergiovanni70,71, V. Pierro124,75, G. Pillant30, L. Pinard22, I. M. Pinto124,75,96, K. Piotrzkowski80, M. Pirello49, M. Pitkin187, W. Plastino171,172, R. Poggiani57,21, D. Y. T. Pong103, S. Ponrathnam3, P. Popolizio30, E. K. Porter27, J. Powell188, A. K. Prajapati119, K. Prasai56, R. Prasanna150, G. Pratten13, T. Prestegard23, M. Principe124,96,75, G. A. Prodi125,126, L. Prokhorov13, M. Punturo43, P. Puppo35, M. Pürrer83, H. Qi113, V. Quetschke16, P. J. Quinonez37, F. J. Raab49, G. Raaijmakers143,39, H. Radkins49, N. Radulesco72, P. Raffai116, H. Rafferty189, S. Raja65, C. Rajan65, B. Rajbhandari92, M. Rakhmanov16, K. E. Ramirez16, A. Ramos-Buades110, Javed Rana3, K. Rao14, P. Rapagnani127,35, V. Raymond113, M. Razzano57,21, J. Read28, T. Regimbau36, L. Rei64, S. Reid24, D. H. Reitze1,31, P. Rettegno139,190, F. Ricci127,35, C. J. Richardson37, J. W. Richardson1, P. M. Ricker20, G. Riemenschneider190,139, K. Riles146, M. Rizzo14, N. A. Robertson1,53, F. Robinet29, A. Rocchi34, R. D. Rodriguez-Soto37, L. Rolland36, J. G. Rollins1, V. J. Roma78, M. Romanelli77, R. Romano4,5, C. L. Romel49, I. M. Romero-Shaw6, J. H. Romie7, C. A. Rose23, D. Rose28, K. Rose184, D. Rosińska81, S. G. Rosofsky20, M. P. Ross170, S. Rowan53, S. J. Rowlinson13, P. K. Roy16, Santosh Roy3, Soumen Roy191, P. Ruggi30, G. Rutins67, K. Ryan49, S. Sachdev132, T. Sadecki49, M. Sakellariadou152, O. S. Salafia192,47,48, L. Salconi30, M. Saleem32, F. Salemi125, A. Samajdar39, E. J. Sanchez1, L. E. Sanchez1, N. Sanchis-Gual193, J. R. Sanders194, K. A. Santiago38, E. Santos72, N. Sarin6, B. Sassolas22, B. S. Sathyaprakash132,113, O. Sauter36, R. L. Savage49, V. Savant3, D. Sawant97, S. Sayah22, D. Schaetzl1, P. Schale78, M. Scheel50, J. Scheuer14, P. Schmidt13, R. Schnabel118, R. M. S. Schofield78, A. Schönbeck118, E. Schreiber9,10, B. W. Schulte9,10, B. F. Schutz113, O. Schwarm185, E. Schwartz7, J. Scott53, S. M. Scott8, E. Seidel20, D. Sellers7, A. S. Sengupta191, N. Sennett83, D. Sentenac30, V. Sequino64, A. Sergeev155, Y. Setyawati9,10, D. A. Shaddock8, T. Shaffer49, S. Sharifi2, M. S. Shahriar14, A. Sharma17,18, P. Sharma65, P. Shawhan84, H. Shen20, M. Shikauchi90, R. Shink164, D. H. Shoemaker54, D. M. Shoemaker85, K. Shukla148, S. ShyamSundar65, K. Siellez85, M. Sieniawska62, D. Sigg49, L. P. Singer88, D. Singh132, N. Singh81, A. Singha53, A. Singhal17,35, A. M. Sintes110, V. Sipala128,129, V. Skliris113, B. J. J. Slagmolen8, T. J. Slaven-Blair73, J. Smetana13, J. R. Smith28, R. J. E. Smith6, S. Somala195, E. J. Son158, S. Soni2, B. Sorazu53, V. Sordini105, F. Sorrentino64, T. Souradeep3, E. Sowell92, A. P. Spencer53, M. Spera59,60, A. K. Srivastava119, V. Srivastava44, K. Staats14, C. Stachie72, M. Standke9,10, D. A. Steer27, M. Steinke9,10, J. Steinlechner118,53, S. Steinlechner118, D. Steinmeyer9,10, S. Stevenson188, D. Stocks56, D. J. Stops13, M. Stover184, K. A. Strain53, G. Stratta196,71, A. Strunk49, R. Sturani197, A. L. Stuver198, S. Sudhagar3, V. Sudhir54, T. Z. Summerscales199, L. Sun1, S. Sunil119, A. Sur62, J. Suresh90, P. J. Sutton113, B. L. Swinkels39, M. J. Szczepańczyk31, M. Tacca39, S. C. Tait53, C. Talbot6, A. J. Tanasijczuk80, D. B. Tanner31, D. Tao1, M. Tápai140, A. Tapia28, E. N. Tapia San Martin39, J. D. Tasson200, R. Taylor1, R. Tenorio110, L. Terkowski118, M. P. Thirugnanasambandam3, M. Thomas7, P. Thomas49, J. E. Thompson113, S. R. Thondapu65, K. A. Thorne7, E. Thrane6, C. L. Tinsman6, T. R. Saravanan3, Shubhanshu Tiwari76,125,126, S. Tiwari144, V. Tiwari113, K. Toland53, M. Tonelli57,21, Z. Tornasi53, A. Torres-Forné83, C. I. Torrie1, I. Tosta e Melo128,129, D. Töyrä8, F. Travasso58,43, G. Traylor7, M. C. Tringali81, A. Tripathee146, A. Trovato27, R. J. Trudeau1, K. W. Tsang39, M. Tse54, R. Tso50, L. Tsukada90, D. Tsuna90, T. Tsutsui90, M. Turconi72, A. S. Ubhi13, R. Udall85, K. Ueno90, D. Ugolini189, C. S. Unnikrishnan144, A. L. Urban2, S. A. Usman102, A. C. Utina53, H. Vahlbruch10, G. Vajente1, G. Valdes2, M. Valentini125,126, N. van Bakel39, M. van Beuzekom39, J. F. J. van den Brand82,149,39, C. Van Den Broeck39,201, D. C. Vander-Hyde44, L. van der Schaaf39, J. V. Van Heijningen73, A. A. van Veggel53, M. Vardaro168,39, V. Varma50, S. Vass1, M. Vasúth55, A. Vecchio13, G. Vedovato60, J. Veitch53, P. J. Veitch63, K. Venkateswara170, G. Venugopalan1, D. Verkindt36, D. Veske33, F. Vetrano70,71, A. Viceré70,71, A. D. Viets202, S. Vinciguerra13, D. J. Vine67, J.-Y. Vinet72, S. Vitale54, Francisco Hernandez Vivanco6, T. Vo44, H. Vocca42,43, C. Vorvick49, S. P. Vyatchanin66, A. R. Wade8, L. E. Wade184, M. Wade184, R. Walet39, M. Walker28, G. S. Wallace24, L. Wallace1, S. Walsh23, J. Z. Wang146, S. Wang20, W. H. Wang16, R. L. Ward8, Z. A. Warden37, J. Warner49, M. Was36, J. Watchi111, B. Weaver49, L.-W. Wei9,10, M. Weinert9,10, A. J. Weinstein1, R. Weiss54, F. Wellmann9,10, L. Wen73, P. Weßels9,10, J. W. Westhouse37, K. Wette8, J. T. Whelan68, B. F. Whiting31, C. Whittle54, D. M. Wilken9,10, D. Williams53, A. Williamson130, J. L. Willis1, B. Willke10,9, W. Winkler9,10, C. C. Wipf1, H. Wittel9,10, G. Woan53, J. Woehler9,10, J. K. Wofford68, I. C. F. Wong103, J. L. Wright53, D. S. Wu9,10, D. M. Wysocki68, L. Xiao1, H. Yamamoto1, L. Yang133, Y. Yang31, Z. Yang46, M. J. Yap8, M. Yazback31, D. W. Yeeles113, Hang Yu54, Haocun Yu54, S. H. R. Yuen103, A. K. Zadrożny16, A. Zadrożny161, M. Zanolin37, T. Zelenova30, J.-P. Zendri60, M. Zevin14, J. Zhang73, L. Zhang1, T. Zhang53, C. Zhao73, G. Zhao111, M. Zhou14, Z. Zhou14, X. J. Zhu6, A. B. Zimmerman176, M. E. Zucker54,1, and J. Zweizig1 (LIGO Scientific Collaboration and Virgo Collaboration)

  • 1LIGO, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA
  • 2Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, USA
  • 3Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pune 411007, India
  • 4Dipartimento di Farmacia, Università di Salerno, I-84084 Fisciano, Salerno, Italy
  • 5INFN, Sezione di Napoli, Complesso Universitario di Monte S.Angelo, I-80126 Napoli, Italy
  • 6OzGrav, School of Physics & Astronomy, Monash University, Clayton 3800, Victoria, Australia
  • 7LIGO Livingston Observatory, Livingston, Louisiana 70754, USA
  • 8OzGrav, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 0200, Australia
  • 9Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute), D-30167 Hannover, Germany
  • 10Leibniz Universität Hannover, D-30167 Hannover, Germany
  • 11Theoretisch-Physikalisches Institut, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, D-07743 Jena, Germany
  • 12University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1TN, United Kingdom
  • 13University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom
  • 14Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration & Research in Astrophysics (CIERA), Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA
  • 15Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais, 12227-010 São José dos Campos, São Paulo, Brazil
  • 16The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Brownsville, Texas 78520, USA
  • 17Gran Sasso Science Institute (GSSI), I-67100 L’Aquila, Italy
  • 18INFN, Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, I-67100 Assergi, Italy
  • 19International Centre for Theoretical Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bengaluru 560089, India
  • 20NCSA, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
  • 21INFN, Sezione di Pisa, I-56127 Pisa, Italy
  • 22Laboratoire des Matériaux Avancés (LMA), IP2I—UMR 5822, CNRS, Université de Lyon, F-69622 Villeurbanne, France
  • 23University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201, USA
  • 24SUPA, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G1 1XQ, United Kingdom
  • 25Dipartimento di Matematica e Informatica, Università di Udine, I-33100 Udine, Italy
  • 26INFN, Sezione di Trieste, I-34127 Trieste, Italy
  • 27APC, AstroParticule et Cosmologie, Université Paris Diderot, CNRS/IN2P3, CEA/Irfu, Observatoire de Paris, Sorbonne Paris Cité, F-75205 Paris Cedex 13, France
  • 28California State University Fullerton, Fullerton, California 92831, USA
  • 29LAL, Université Paris-Sud, CNRS/IN2P3, Université Paris-Saclay, F-91898 Orsay, France
  • 30European Gravitational Observatory (EGO), I-56021 Cascina, Pisa, Italy
  • 31University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, USA
  • 32Chennai Mathematical Institute, Chennai 603103, India
  • 33Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, USA
  • 34INFN, Sezione di Roma Tor Vergata, I-00133 Roma, Italy
  • 35INFN, Sezione di Roma, I-00185 Roma, Italy
  • 36Laboratoire d’Annecy de Physique des Particules (LAPP), Université Grenoble Alpes, Université Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS/IN2P3, F-74941 Annecy, France
  • 37Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott, Arizona 86301, USA
  • 38Montclair State University, Montclair, New Jersey 07043, USA
  • 39Nikhef, Science Park 105, 1098 XG Amsterdam, Netherlands
  • 40Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information, Daejeon 34141, South Korea
  • 41Christopher Newport University, Newport News, Virginia 23606, USA
  • 42Università di Perugia, I-06123 Perugia, Italy
  • 43INFN, Sezione di Perugia, I-06123 Perugia, Italy
  • 44Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York 13244, USA
  • 45Université de Liège, B-4000 Liège, Belgium
  • 46University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA
  • 47Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, I-20126 Milano, Italy
  • 48INFN, Sezione di Milano-Bicocca, I-20126 Milano, Italy
  • 49LIGO Hanford Observatory, Richland, Washington 99352, USA
  • 50Caltech CaRT, Pasadena, California 91125, USA
  • 51Departament de Física Quàntica i Astrofísica, Institut de Ciències del Cosmos (ICCUB), Universitat de Barcelona (IEEC-UB), E-08028 Barcelona, Spain
  • 52Dipartimento di Medicina, Chirurgia e Odontoiatria “Scuola Medica Salernitana,” Università di Salerno, I-84081 Baronissi, Salerno, Italy
  • 53SUPA, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, United Kingdom
  • 54LIGO, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
  • 55Wigner RCP, RMKI, H-1121 Budapest, Konkoly Thege Miklós út 29-33, Hungary
  • 56Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
  • 57Università di Pisa, I-56127 Pisa, Italy
  • 58Università di Camerino, Dipartimento di Fisica, I-62032 Camerino, Italy
  • 59Università di Padova, Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, I-35131 Padova, Italy
  • 60INFN, Sezione di Padova, I-35131 Padova, Italy
  • 61Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana 59717, USA
  • 62Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomical Center, Polish Academy of Sciences, 00-716, Warsaw, Poland
  • 63OzGrav, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia
  • 64INFN, Sezione di Genova, I-16146 Genova, Italy
  • 65RRCAT, Indore, Madhya Pradesh 452013, India
  • 66Faculty of Physics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119991, Russia
  • 67SUPA, University of the West of Scotland, Paisley PA1 2BE, United Kingdom
  • 68Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York 14623, USA
  • 69Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel
  • 70Università degli Studi di Urbino “Carlo Bo,” I-61029 Urbino, Italy
  • 71INFN, Sezione di Firenze, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Firenze, Italy
  • 72Artemis, Université Côte d’Azur, Observatoire Côte d’Azur, CNRS, CS 34229, F-06304 Nice Cedex 4, France
  • 73OzGrav, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia
  • 74Dipartimento di Fisica “E.R. Caianiello,” Università di Salerno, I-84084 Fisciano, Salerno, Italy
  • 75INFN, Sezione di Napoli, Gruppo Collegato di Salerno, Complesso Universitario di Monte S. Angelo, I-80126 Napoli, Italy
  • 76Physik-Institut, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
  • 77Université Rennes, CNRS, Institut FOTON—UMR6082, F-3500 Rennes, France
  • 78University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403, USA
  • 79Laboratoire Kastler Brossel, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, ENS-Université PSL, Collège de France, F-75005 Paris, France
  • 80Université catholique de Louvain, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
  • 81Astronomical Observatory Warsaw University, 00-478 Warsaw, Poland
  • 82VU University Amsterdam, 1081 HV Amsterdam, Netherlands
  • 83Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute), D-14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany
  • 84University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
  • 85School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA
  • 86Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, Institut Lumière Matière, F-69622 Villeurbanne, France
  • 87Università di Napoli “Federico II,” Complesso Universitario di Monte S.Angelo, I-80126 Napoli, Italy
  • 88NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
  • 89Dipartimento di Fisica, Università degli Studi di Genova, I-16146 Genova, Italy
  • 90RESCEU, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
  • 91Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
  • 92Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas 79409, USA
  • 93Università di Roma Tor Vergata, I-00133 Roma, Italy
  • 94Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, Missouri 65409, USA
  • 95Departamento de Astronomía y Astrofísica, Universitat de València, E-46100 Burjassot, València, Spain
  • 96Museo Storico della Fisica e Centro Studi e Ricerche “Enrico Fermi,” I-00184 Roma, Italy
  • 97Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai 400 076, India
  • 98National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu City, 30013 Taiwan, Republic of China
  • 99Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, New South Wales 2678, Australia
  • 100Physics and Astronomy Department, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794, USA
  • 101Center for Computational Astrophysics, Flatiron Institute, 162 5th Avenue, New York, New York 10010, USA
  • 102University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
  • 103The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong
  • 104Dipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale (DIIN), Università di Salerno, I-84084 Fisciano, Salerno, Italy
  • 105Institut de Physique des 2 Infinis de Lyon (IP2I)—UMR 5822, Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard, CNRS, F-69622 Villeurbanne, France
  • 106Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, South Korea
  • 107Pusan National University, Busan 46241, South Korea
  • 108INAF, Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova, I-35122 Padova, Italy
  • 109OzGrav, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
  • 110Universitat de les Illes Balears, IAC3—IEEC, E-07122 Palma de Mallorca, Spain
  • 111Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels 1050, Belgium
  • 112Departamento de Matemáticas, Universitat de València, E-46100 Burjassot, València, Spain
  • 113Cardiff University, Cardiff CF24 3AA, United Kingdom
  • 114University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island 02881, USA
  • 115Bellevue College, Bellevue, Washington 98007, USA
  • 116MTA-ELTE Astrophysics Research Group, Institute of Physics, Eötvös University, Budapest 1117, Hungary
  • 117California State University, Los Angeles, 5151 State University Drive, Los Angeles, California 90032, USA
  • 118Universität Hamburg, D-22761 Hamburg, Germany
  • 119Institute for Plasma Research, Bhat, Gandhinagar 382428, India
  • 120IGFAE, Campus Sur, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Spain
  • 121The University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, United Kingdom
  • 122Dipartimento di Scienze Matematiche, Fisiche e Informatiche, Università di Parma, I-43124 Parma, Italy
  • 123INFN, Sezione di Milano Bicocca, Gruppo Collegato di Parma, I-43124 Parma, Italy
  • 124Dipartimento di Ingegneria, Università del Sannio, I-82100 Benevento, Italy
  • 125Università di Trento, Dipartimento di Fisica, I-38123 Povo, Trento, Italy
  • 126INFN, Trento Institute for Fundamental Physics and Applications, I-38123 Povo, Trento, Italy
  • 127Università di Roma “La Sapienza,” I-00185 Roma, Italy
  • 128Università degli Studi di Sassari, I-07100 Sassari, Italy
  • 129INFN, Laboratori Nazionali del Sud, I-95125 Catania, Italy
  • 130University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, PO1 3FX, United Kingdom
  • 131West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia 26506, USA
  • 132The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
  • 133Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, USA
  • 134Institute for Nuclear Research (Atomki), Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Bem tér 18/c, H-4026 Debrecen, Hungary
  • 135CNR-SPIN, c/o Università di Salerno, I-84084 Fisciano, Salerno, Italy
  • 136Scuola di Ingegneria, Università della Basilicata, I-85100 Potenza, Italy
  • 137National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, 2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588, Japan
  • 138Observatori Astronòmic, Universitat de València, E-46980 Paterna, València, Spain
  • 139INFN Sezione di Torino, I-10125 Torino, Italy
  • 140University of Szeged, Dóm tér 9, Szeged 6720, Hungary
  • 141Delta Institute for Theoretical Physics, Science Park 904, 1090 GL Amsterdam, Netherlands
  • 142Lorentz Institute, Leiden University, PO Box 9506, Leiden 2300 RA, Netherlands
  • 143GRAPPA, Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy and Institute for High-Energy Physics, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam, Netherlands
  • 144Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai 400005, India
  • 145INAF, Osservatorio Astronomico di Capodimonte, I-80131 Napoli, Italy
  • 146University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
  • 147American University, Washington, DC 20016, USA
  • 148University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
  • 149Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, Netherlands
  • 150Directorate of Construction, Services & Estate Management, Mumbai 400094 India
  • 151University of Białystok, 15-424 Białystok, Poland
  • 152King’s College London, University of London, London WC2R 2LS, United Kingdom
  • 153University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom
  • 154University of Washington Bothell, Bothell, Washington 98011, USA
  • 155Institute of Applied Physics, Nizhny Novgorod, 603950, Russia
  • 156Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, South Korea
  • 157Inje University Gimhae, South Gyeongsang 50834, South Korea
  • 158National Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Daejeon 34047, South Korea
  • 159Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan 44919, South Korea
  • 160Bard College, 30 Campus Rd, Annandale-On-Hudson, New York 12504, USA
  • 161NCBJ, 05-400 Świerk-Otwock, Poland
  • 162Institute of Mathematics, Polish Academy of Sciences, 00656 Warsaw, Poland
  • 163Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14850, USA
  • 164Université de Montréal/Polytechnique, Montreal, Quebec H3T 1J4, Canada
  • 165Lagrange, Université Côte d’Azur, Observatoire Côte d’Azur, CNRS, CS 34229, F-06304 Nice Cedex 4, France
  • 166Hillsdale College, Hillsdale, Michigan 49242, USA
  • 167Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, Daejeon 34055, South Korea
  • 168Institute for High-Energy Physics, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam, Netherlands
  • 169NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama 35811, USA
  • 170University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
  • 171Dipartimento di Matematica e Fisica, Università degli Studi Roma Tre, I-00146 Roma, Italy
  • 172INFN, Sezione di Roma Tre, I-00146 Roma, Italy
  • 173ESPCI, CNRS, F-75005 Paris, France
  • 174Center for Phononics and Thermal Energy Science, School of Physics Science and Engineering, Tongji University, 200092 Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
  • 175Southern University and A&M College, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70813, USA
  • 176Department of Physics, University of Texas, Austin, Texas 78712, USA
  • 177Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Trieste, I-34127 Trieste, Italy
  • 178Centre Scientifique de Monaco, 8 quai Antoine Ier, MC-98000, Monaco
  • 179Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036, India
  • 180Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, F-67000 Strasbourg, France
  • 181Institut des Hautes Etudes Scientifiques, F-91440 Bures-sur-Yvette, France
  • 182IISER-Kolkata, Mohanpur, West Bengal 741252, India
  • 183Department of Astrophysics/IMAPP, Radboud University Nijmegen, P.O. Box 9010, 6500 GL Nijmegen, Netherlands
  • 184Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio 43022, USA
  • 185Whitman College, 345 Boyer Avenue, Walla Walla, Washington 99362 USA
  • 186Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, New York 14456, USA
  • 187Department of Physics, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YB, United Kingdom
  • 188OzGrav, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn VIC 3122, Australia
  • 189Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas 78212, USA
  • 190Dipartimento di Fisica, Università degli Studi di Torino, I-10125 Torino, Italy
  • 191Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar Ahmedabad Gujarat 382424, India
  • 192INAF, Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera sede di Merate, I-23807 Merate, Lecco, Italy
  • 193Centro de Astrofísica e Gravitação (CENTRA), Departamento de Física, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal
  • 194Marquette University, 11420 West Clybourn Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53233, USA
  • 195Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, Sangareddy, Khandi, Telangana 502285, India
  • 196INAF, Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio, I-40129 Bologna, Italy
  • 197International Institute of Physics, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal RN 59078-970, Brazil
  • 198Villanova University, 800 Lancaster Avenue, Villanova, Pennsylvania 19085, USA
  • 199Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan 49104, USA
  • 200Carleton College, Northfield, Minnesota 55057, USA
  • 201Department of Physics, Utrecht University, 3584CC Utrecht, Netherlands
  • 202Concordia University Wisconsin, 2800 North Lake Shore Drive, Mequon, Wisconsin 53097, USA

  • *Full author list given at the end of the Letter.
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Phys. Rev. Lett. 125, 101102 – Published 2 September, 2020

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.125.101102

Abstract

On May 21, 2019 at 03:02:29 UTC Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo observed a short duration gravitational-wave signal, GW190521, with a three-detector network signal-to-noise ratio of 14.7, and an estimated false-alarm rate of 1 in 4900 yr using a search sensitive to generic transients. If GW190521 is from a quasicircular binary inspiral, then the detected signal is consistent with the merger of two black holes with masses of 85−14+21  M⊙ and 66−18+17  M⊙ (90% credible intervals). We infer that the primary black hole mass lies within the gap produced by (pulsational) pair-instability supernova processes, with only a 0.32% probability of being below 65  M⊙. We calculate the mass of the remnant to be 142−16+28  M⊙, which can be considered an intermediate mass black hole (IMBH). The luminosity distance of the source is 5.3−2.6+2.4  Gpc, corresponding to a redshift of 0.82−0.34+0.28. The inferred rate of mergers similar to GW190521 is 0.13−0.11+0.30  Gpc−3 yr−1.

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Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Corrections

23 October, 2020

Correction: The name A. Williamson was missing from the author list of the original publication and has been inserted.

Viewpoint

A Heavyweight Merger

Published 2 September, 2020

The heaviest black hole merger detected to date provides evidence for a progenitor black hole in a theoretically forbidden gap and for a resulting black hole in the long-sought intermediate mass range.

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Article Text

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Outline

Information

Phys. Rev. Lett. 125, 101102– Published 2 September, 2020
  • Received 30 May 2020
  • Revised 19 June 2020
  • Accepted 9 July 2020
  • Corrected 23 October 2020
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