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K. Gultekin, M.C. Miller, D.P. Hamilton (University of Maryland)
Recent x-ray observations suggest that a number of galaxies may harbor black holes with masses between 102 and 103-4 MSun. These intermediate-mass black holes may require a formation mechanism different from those of stellar-mass black holes and supermassive black holes. Several models have been proposed to account for their origin, one of which proposes that stellar-mass black holes in dense globular clusters may grow to the required masses through mergers. We investigate this scenario numerically, by examining the role of interactions between binary black holes and single black holes. We present results of numerical simulations of these encounters and discuss their implications for the formation of intermediate-mass black holes and for their detectability with gravitational wave detectors such as LISA and LIGO-II.