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Explore the revolutionary discoveries of stellar mass black holes in our galaxy through this 45-minute conference talk by Jessica Lu from UC Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Learn how gravitational wave detections are transforming our understanding of black hole populations, while Gaia observations reveal dormant black holes in binary systems with stellar companions. Discover how microlensing techniques enable detection of otherwise unobservable isolated black holes, and examine how time domain surveys search for transients that mark black hole formation or stellar interactions. Understand how these diverse detection methods are unveiling new black hole populations that complement the accreting black holes previously known from X-ray and radio surveys. Gain insights into the complete lifecycle of stellar black holes, from their massive star progenitors through core collapse and associated transients, to their existence as dormant or accreting objects, and their potential fate as gravitational wave sources during mergers. Examine the latest observational findings and theoretical strategies being developed to address fundamental questions about stellar black hole evolution in our galaxy.
