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Initial mass and density of the ED-2 progenitor cluster

Ascertain the initial mass and density of the progenitor cluster of the ED-2 stellar stream to evaluate the feasibility of Gaia BH3’s formation via isolated binary evolution versus dynamical exchange.

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Background

The paper notes Gaia BH3’s association with the ED-2 stellar stream and discusses cluster-based formation scenarios. The cluster’s initial properties critically affect whether natal kicks would unbind Gaia BH3 from the cluster and thus influence the plausibility of isolated or dynamical formation channels, yet these properties are explicitly stated as uncertain.

References

While the association of Gaia BH3 with ED-2 appears robust, the progenitor cluster's initial density and mass are uncertain, leaving open the possibility that Gaia BH3 is a primordial binary as opposed to one formed by dynamical exchange.

— On the formation of a $33\,M_{\odot}$ black hole in a low-metallicity binary (2404.13047 - El-Badry, 19 Apr 2024) in Section 1 (Introduction)