What we talk about when we talk about hierarchical mergers: the (lack of) peculiarity of GW241011 and GW241110 in the context of the cluster formation scenario

The gravitational-wave events GW241011 and GW241110 are strikingly consistent with the hierarchical merger scenario, in which the primary black hole was formed from the previous merger of two black holes in a dense stellar environment. At the same time, the low masses of these events may come as a surprise given that hierarchical mergers are more often associated with massive black holes. We investigate whether the masses of GW241011 and GW241110 are peculiar relative to the subpopulation of hierarchical mergers we can not only detect, but successfully classify as such. Having placed them in context, we then explore the properties of the events' host clusters using a machine-learning emulator to infer cluster metallicities and formation redshifts. Our work demonstrates that GW241011 and GW241110 are consistent with the characterizable population of hierarchical mergers and puts constraints on the properties of their host clusters.