Massive vector field perturbations on extremal and near-extremal static black holes

Abstract

We discuss a new perturbation method to study the dynamics of massive vector fields on (near-)extremal static black hole spacetimes. We start with, as our background, a rather generic class of warped product metrics, and classify the field variables into the vector(axial)- and scalar(polar)-type components. On this generic background, we show that for the vector-type components, the Proca equation reduces to a single master equation, whereas the scalar-type components remain to be coupled. Then, focusing on the case of (near-)extremal static black holes in four-dimensions, we consider the near-horizon expansion of both the background geometry and massive vector field by a scaling parameter $\lambda$ with the leading-order geometry being the so called near-horizon geometry. We show that on the near-horizon geometry, thanks to its enhanced symmetry, the Proca equation for the scalar-type components also reduces to a set of two mutually decoupled homogeneous wave equations for two variables, plus a coupled equation through which the remaining variable is determined. Therefore, together with the vector-type master equation, we obtain the set of three decoupled master wave equations, which govern the three independent dynamical degrees of freedom of the massive vector field in four-dimensions. We further expand the geometry and massive vector field with respect to $\lambda$ and show that at each order, the Proca equation for the scalar-type components can reduce to a set of decoupled inhomogeneous wave equations whose source terms consist only of the lower-order variables, plus one coupled equation that determins the remaining variable. Therefore, if one solves the master equations on the leading-order near-horizon geometry, then in principle one can successively solve the Proca equation at any order.