Nature of the black hole formation event in Gaia BH3

Determine whether the formation of the 33 solar-mass black hole in Gaia BH3 was accompanied by a successful supernova explosion or instead produced a long-lived luminous transient associated with a failed or weak supernova.

Background

In the Monte Carlo treatment of black hole natal kicks and mass loss, the paper uses a broad definition of the supernova event to encompass the massive star’s death that led to black hole formation. The specific phenomenology—successful explosion versus long-lived luminous transient—remains uncertain, and impacts assumptions about mass loss and imparted kicks.