GW150914: Spin-based constraints on the merger time of the progenitor system

Abstract

We explore the implications of the observed lowspin of GW150914 within the context of stellar astrophysics and progenitor models. We conclude that many of the recently proposed scenarios are in marked tension with this observation. We derive a simple model for the observed spin in the case that the progenitor system was a field binary composed of a black hole (BH) and a Wolf-Rayet star and explore the implications of the observed spin for this model. The spin observation allows us to place a lower limit for the delay time between the formation of the BH+BH binary and the actual merger, tmerge. We use typical values for these systems to derive tmerge ≳108 yr, which proves to be an important diagnostic for different progenitor models. We anticipate the next series of events, and the associated spin parameters, will ultimately yield critical constraints on formation scenarios and on stellar parameters describing the late-stage evolution of massive stars.