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SUMMARY:Can Gravitational Lensing Explain the Extreme Mass Inference of GW
 231123?
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20261028T171500Z
DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20261028T172500Z
DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20261026T204324Z
UID:indico-contribution-3660@nyx.physics.mcgill.ca
DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Mariah Zeroug (CITA\, University of Toronto\, Dunlap
  Institute)\nGW231123 is an exceptional binary black hole merger whose unu
 sually large component masses challenge standard expectations for stellar 
 origins. Additionally\, its secondary mass (the less massive one) is in te
 nsion with the observed gravitational-wave population. Strong gravitationa
 l lensing provides a potential explanation\, as magnification biases the i
 nferred source parameters\, making a high-redshift\, lower-mass system app
 ear much closer and more massive.\n\nIn this talk\, I will present the res
 ults of an investigation into whether or not gravitational lensing can pla
 usibly account for the observed properties of GW231123. We find that recon
 ciling its secondary mass with the observed population would require an ex
 treme magnification. The probability of observing such a magnification is 
 extremely low given current gravitational wave observations\, strongly dis
 favoring the lensing hypothesis. This work reflects Canada's growing role 
 in gravitational-wave astrophysics\, contributing to the global effort to 
 understand the origins of black holes and the reliability of parameter inf
 erence\, a field in which Canadian institutions are increasingly shaping t
 he scientific conversation.\n\nhttps://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/587/con
 tributions/3660/
LOCATION:Online 
URL:https://nyx.physics.mcgill.ca/event/587/contributions/3660/
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