# A Collapsar-Disk Origin for GW190814

**Authors:** Vishal Baibhav, Brian D. Metzger, Lam Hui  
**arXiv:** [2606.23786](https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.23786)  
**Date:** 2026-06-22  
**Summary page:** https://www.summarizepaper.com/en/paper/2606.23786v1/

## Key points

- The GW190814 gravitational-wave event involves the merger of a 23 solar-mass black hole and a 2.6 solar-mass compact object with an extreme mass ratio.
- Recent studies suggest that this event may have originated from a collapsar-disk fragment merging with the central black hole, supported by evidence showing that neutrino-cooled collapsar disks can become gravitationally unstable and fragment.
- A key prediction of this scenario is a temporal association with a stripped-envelope supernova preceding the gravitational-wave event, such as the Type Ib supernova candidate SN2019npv identified as a possible electromagnetic precursor.
- Three-body interactions among disk fragments can naturally produce merger delays of weeks to months, highlighting how complex astrophysical processes can give rise to unique events in our universe.
- Future delayed mergers in this channel could generate luminous transients through reprocessed kilonova heating or shocks driven by merger ejecta colliding with preceding supernova ejecta.
- Treating SN2019npv as the host makes GW190814 a bright standard siren and yields an estimate of Hubble constant H_0 = 70.5 (+9.2,-6.4) km/s/Mpc.
- Simulation results support the idea that collapsar disks can undergo fragmentation leading to mergers like GW190814, providing insights into understanding the formation and evolution of binary systems involving black holes and compact objects.

## Summary

The GW190814 gravitational-wave event is a significant discovery characterized by the merger of a 23 solar-mass black hole and a 2.6 solar-mass compact object with an extreme mass ratio. Recent studies have proposed that this event may have originated from a collapsar-disk fragment merging with the central black hole, supported by evidence showing that neutrino-cooled collapsar disks can become gravitationally unstable and fragment. This model suggests that fragments from the disk may interact, scatter, merge, or inspiral into the central black hole. A key prediction of this scenario is a temporal association with a stripped-envelope supernova preceding the gravitational-wave event. The Type Ib supernova candidate SN2019npv, which occurred approximately 60 days before coalescence inside the credible volume of GW190814, is identified as a possible electromagnetic precursor. While the delay between the supernova and the merger is too long for a conventional kilonova counterpart, three-body interactions among disk fragments can naturally produce merger delays of weeks to months. This highlights how complex astrophysical processes can give rise to unique events in our universe. Additionally, future delayed mergers in this channel could generate luminous transients through reprocessed kilonova heating or shocks driven by merger ejecta colliding with preceding supernova ejecta. Treating SN2019npv as the host makes GW190814 a bright standard siren and yields an estimate of Hubble constant H_0 = 70.5 (+9.2,-6.4) km/s/Mpc. Simulation results involving nonspinning central black holes and compact objects on coplanar circular orbits support the idea that collapsar disks can undergo fragmentation leading to mergers like GW190814. This study provides insights into understanding the formation and evolution of binary systems involving black holes and compact objects, showcasing the complexity of astrophysical processes in our universe.