Explicit triangular decoupling of the separated vector wave equation on Schwarzschild into scalar Regge-Wheeler equations

Abstract

We consider the vector wave equation on the Schwarzschild spacetime, which can be considered as coming from the harmonic (or Lorenz) gauge fixed Maxwell equations. After a separation of variables, the radial mode equations form a complicated system of coupled linear ODEs. We outline a precise abstract strategy to decouple this system into triangular form, where the diagonal blocks consist of spin-s scalar Regge-Wheeler equations, with s = 0 or 1. This strategy is then implemented to give an explicit transformation of the radial mode equations (with nonzero frequency and angular momentum) into this triangular form. Our decoupling goes a step further than previous results in the literature by making the triangular form explicit and reducing it as much as possible. Also, with the help of our abstractly formulated decoupling strategy, we have significantly streamlined both the presentation of the final results and the intermediate calculations. Finally, we note that the vector wave equation is a simple model for more complicated equations, like harmonic (or de Donder) gauge fixed linearized gravity, and backgrounds, like Kerr, where we expect the same abstract decoupling strategy to work as well.