SIMBAD references

Dynamical interactions facilitated by the high densities in massive star clusters can lead to large numbers of stellar collisions and unique stellar evolution pathways not possible for stars evolving in isolation. Using N-body cluster models, we study the role of stellar collisions in the formation of massive black holes, specifically studying the effect of stellar metallicity on this process. We show that at high metallicity (up to solar), the number of massive black holes formed may be reduced by up to a factor of ten compared to low-metallicity clusters. We also examine the role of collisions in the production of pair-instability supernovae and predict event rates of these transients in the local universe.