Constrain the connection between compact-remnant masses and natal kicks

Establish the physical connection between compact-remnant mass and natal-kick velocity across core-collapse supernovae and binary-stripping histories.

Background

The paper compares deterministic, stochastic, and metallicity- and stripping-dependent prescriptions for remnant formation and natal kicks. These prescriptions produce substantially different isolated-black-hole abundances, mass distributions, and kinematics. The authors identify the relationship between remnant mass and natal kick as an unresolved component of supernova physics that future observations of compact remnants may constrain.

References

Overall, the physics of SNe remains uncertain, and existing prescriptions may not fully capture the connection between remnant mass and natal kick.

— A Census of Stellar-mass Black Holes in the Milky Way with POPKIN. I. Isolated Black Holes  (2609.29211 - He et al., 24 Sep 2026) in Section 2.3.3, “SN Explosion”