To date, isolated stellar-mass black holes have never been definitively detected and only two dozen black holes in our Galaxy have measured masses – all in binaries. The number and mass statistics of black holes can provide important constraints on the star formation history, the stellar mass function, supernova physics and how BHs form, the equation of state of nuclear matter, and the existence of primordial black holes. We are searching for black holes in the Milky Way using gravitational lensing. Our Galaxy likely contains 100 million stellar-mass black holes. 8 Other Microlensing and Compact Object Workįinding Black Holes with Gravitational Lensing.5 Finding Black Holes with Photometric Microlensing.
1 Finding Black Holes with Gravitational Lensing.