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We introduce a population model to analyze the mixing between hypothesised power-law and 35 M_ Gaussian bump black hole populations in the latest gravitational wave catalog, GWTC-3, estimating their co-location and separation. We find a relatively low level of mixing, 3. 1^+5. 0-₃. ₁\%, between the power-law and Gaussian populations, compared to the percentage of mergers containing two Gaussian bump black holes, 5. 0^+3. 2-₁. ₇\%. Our analysis indicates that black holes within the Gaussian bump are generally separate from the power-law population, with only a minor fraction engaging in mixing and contributing to the M 14 M_ peak in the chirp mass. This leads us to identify a distinct population of Binary Gaussian Black Holes (BGBHs) that arise from mergers within the Gaussian bump. We suggest that current theories for the formation of the massive 35 M_ Gaussian bump population may need to reevaluate the underlying mechanisms that drive the preference for BGBHs.
Ho et al. (Fri,) studied this question.