The spins of ten stellar black holes have been measured using the continuum-fitting method.
These black holes are located in two distinct classes of X-ray binary systems, one that is …

We review the formation and evolution of compact binary stars consisting of white dwarfs
(WDs), neutron stars (NSs), and black holes (BHs). Mergings of compact-star binaries are …

We compile observations of early-type binaries identified via spectroscopy, eclipses, long-
baseline interferometry, adaptive optics, common proper motion, etc. Each observational …

Stellar-mass black holes are the final remnants of stars born with more than 15 solar
masses. Billions are expected to reside in the Local Group, yet only a few are known, mostly …

All stellar-mass black holes have hitherto been identified by X-rays emitted from gas that is
accreting onto the black hole from a companion star. These systems are all binaries with a …

The last decade of observational and theoretical developments in stellar and binary
evolution provides an opportunity to incorporate major improvements to the predictions from …

We describe the discovery of a solar neighborhood (d= 468 pc) binary system with a main-
sequence sunlike star and a massive noninteracting black hole candidate. The spectral …

The development of advanced gravitational wave (GW) observatories, such as Advanced
LIGO and Advanced Virgo, provides impetus to refine theoretical predictions for what these …

The era of large transient surveys, gravitational-wave observatories, and multi-messenger
astronomy has opened up new possibilities for our understanding of the evolution and final …

We compare evolutionary predictions of double compact object merger rate densities with
initial and forthcoming LIGO/Virgo upper limits. We find that:(i) Due to the cosmological …