Mapping Progenitors of Binary Black Holes and Neutron Stars with Binary
  Population Synthesis
  The first directly observed gravitational wave event, GW150914, featuring the
merger of two massive black holes, highlighted the need to determine how these
systems of compact remnant binaries are formed. We use the binary population
synthesis code COSMIC (Compact Object Synthesis and Monte Carlo Investigation
Code) to predict the types of massive stars that will show significant radial
velocity variations, indicative of a potential compact object (i.e. a black
hole or neutron star) orbiting the star. We "observe" the binaries generated in
the populations with a similar number of epochs and RV accuracy as planned for
the Milky Way Mapper. In this analysis, we are especially interested in systems
where a compact remnant is orbiting a massive O or B star as these systems
survived the first supernova and neutron star kick. We test the ability of the
Milky Way Mapper observing strategy to distinguish among different mass loss
and kick prescriptions. We find that Wolf-Rayet stars or hot subdwarfs in
binaries could be detectable (i.e. luminous, high delta RV max), viable
progenitors of such objects, while the different prescriptions primarily affect
the number of sources.
