Space-borne gravitational wave observatories

An overview of our current knowledge of black seed formation models following their growth history over cosmic time is presented. Both light seed formation channels remnants of the first stars and the more massive direct collapse seed formation scenarios are outlined. In particular, the focus is on the implications of these various scenarios and what these initial conditions imply for the highest redshift black holes, the local black hole population, the highest mass black holes at each epoch and the low mass end of the black hole mass function all of which are currently observed. The goal is to present a broad and comprehensive picture of the current status; the open questions and challenges faced by black hole growth models in matching current observational data and the prospects for future observations that will help discriminate between competing models.