Complete set of quasi-conserved quantities for spinning particles around Kerr

We revisit the conserved quantities of the Mathisson-Papapetrou-Tulczyjew equations describing the motion of spinning particles on a fixed background. Assuming Ricci-flatness and the existence of a Killing-Yano tensor, we demonstrate that besides the two non-trivial quasi-conserved quantities, i.e. conserved at linear order in the spin, found by Rüdiger, non-trivial quasi-conserved quantities are in one-to-one correspondence with non-trivial mixed-symmetry Killing tensors. We prove that no such stationary and axisymmetric mixed-symmetry Killing tensor exists on the Kerr geometry. We discuss the implications for the motion of spinning particles on Kerr spacetime where the quasi-constants of motion are shown not to be in complete involution.

Blandford-Znajek mechanism in the general stationary axially-symmetric black-hole spacetime

We consider the Blandford-Znajek process of electromagnetic extraction of energy from a general axially symmetric asymptotically flat slowly rotating black hole. Using the general parametrization of the black-hole spacetime we construct formulas for the flux of the magnetic field and the rate of energy extraction, which are valid not only for the Kerr spacetime, but also for its arbitrary axially symmetric deformations. We show that in the dominant order these quantities depend only on a single deformation parameter, which relates the spin frequency of a black hole with its rotation parameter.

Analytical study of light ray trajectories in Kerr spacetime in the presence of an inhomogeneous anisotropic plasma

We calculate the exact solutions to the equations of motion that govern the light ray trajectories as they travel in a Kerr black hole’s exterior that is considered to be filled with an inhomogeneous and anisotropic plasmic medium. This is approached by characterizing the plasma through conceiving a radial and an angular structure function, which are let to be constant. The description of the motion is carried out by using the Hamilton–Jacobi method, that allows defining two effective potentials, characterizing the evolution of the polar coordinates. The elliptic integrals of motion are then solved analytically, and the evolution of coordinates is expressed in terms of the Mino time. This way, the three-dimensional demonstrations of the light ray trajectories are given respectively.

Applying explicit symplectic integrator to study chaos of charged particles around magnetized Kerr black hole

In a recent work of Wu, Wang, Sun and Liu, a second-order explicit symplectic integrator was proposed for the integrable Kerr spacetime geometry. It is still suited for simulating the nonintegrable dynamics of charged particles moving around the Kerr black hole embedded in an external magnetic field. Its successful construction is due to the contribution of a time transformation. The algorithm exhibits a good long-term numerical performance in stable Hamiltonian errors and computational efficiency. As its application, the dynamics of order and chaos of charged particles is surveyed. In some circumstances, an increase of the dragging effects of the spacetime seems to weaken the extent of chaos from the global phase-space structure on Poincaré sections. However, an increase of the magnetic parameter strengthens the chaotic properties. On the other hand, fast Lyapunov indicators show that there is no universal rule for the dependence of the transition between different dynamical regimes on the black hole spin. The dragging effects of the spacetime do not always weaken the extent of chaos from a local point of view.

Compatibility Complex for Black Hole Spacetimes

The set of local gauge invariant quantities for linearized gravity on the Kerr spacetime presented by two of the authors (Aksteiner and Bäckdahl in Phys Rev Lett 121:051104, 2018) is shown to be complete. In particular, any gauge invariant quantity for linearized gravity on Kerr that is local and of finite order in derivatives can be expressed in terms of these gauge invariants and derivatives thereof. The proof is carried out by constructing a complete compatibility complex for the Killing operator, and demonstrating the equivalence of the gauge invariants from Aksteiner and Bäckdahl (Phys Rev Lett 121:051104, 2018) with the first compatibility operator from that complex.

Thermal behavior of a radially deformed black hole spacetime

In the present article, we study the Hawking effect and the bounds on greybody factor in a spacetime with radial deformation. This deformation is expected to carry the imprint of a non-Einsteinian theory of gravity, but shares some of the important characteristics of general relativity (GR). In particular, this radial deformation will restore the asymptotic behavior, and also allows for the separation of the scalar field equation in terms of the angular and radial coordinates – making it suitable to study the Hawking effect and greybody factors. However, the radial deformation would introduce a change in the locations of the horizon, and therefore, the temperature of the Hawking effect naturally alters. In fact, we observe that the deformation parameter has an enhancing effect on both temperature and bounds on the greybody factor, which introduces a useful distinction with the Kerr spacetime. We discuss these effects elaborately, and broadly study the thermal behavior of a radially deformed spacetime.

Painlevé–Gullstrand form of the Lense–Thirring Spacetime

The standard Lense–Thirring metric is a century-old slow-rotation large-distance approximation to the gravitational field outside a rotating massive body, depending only on the total mass and angular momentum of the source. Although it is not an exact solution to the vacuum Einstein equations, asymptotically the Lense–Thirring metric approaches the Kerr metric at large distances. Herein we shall discuss a specific variant of the standard Lense–Thirring metric, carefully chosen for simplicity, clarity, and various forms of improved mathematical and physical behaviour, (to be more carefully defined in the body of the article). We shall see that this Lense–Thirring variant can be viewed as arising from the linearization of a suitably chosen tetrad representing the Kerr spacetime. In particular, we shall construct an explicit unit-lapse Painlevé–Gullstrand variant of the Lense–Thirring spacetime, one that has flat spatial slices, a very simple and physically intuitive tetrad, and extremely simple curvature tensors. We shall verify that this variant of the Lense–Thirring spacetime is Petrov type I, (so it is not algebraically special), but nevertheless possesses some very straightforward timelike geodesics, (the “rain” geodesics). We shall also discuss on-axis and equatorial geodesics, ISCOs (innermost stable circular orbits) and circular photon orbits. Finally, we wrap up by discussing some astrophysically relevant estimates, and analyze what happens if we extrapolate down to small values of r; verifying that for sufficiently slow rotation we explicitly recover slowly rotating Schwarzschild geometry. This Lense–Thirring variant can be viewed, in its own right, as a “black hole mimic”, of direct interest to the observational astronomy community.