Spectral method for the gravitational perturbations of black holes: Schwarzschild background case

Abstract

We develop a novel technique through spectral decompositions to study the gravitational perturbations of a black hole, without needing to decouple the linearized field equations into master equations and separate their radial and angular dependence. We first spectrally decompose the metric perturbation in a Legendre and Chebyshev basis for the angular and radial sectors respectively, using input from the asymptotic behavior of the perturbation at spatial infinity and at the black hole event horizon. This spectral decomposition allows us to then transform the linearized Einstein equations (a coupled set of partial differential equations) into a linear matrix equation. By solving the linear matrix equation for its generalized eigenvalues, we can estimate the complex quasinormal frequencies of the fundamental mode and various overtones of the gravitational perturbations simultaneously and to high accuracy. We apply this technique to perturbations of a nonspinning, Schwarzschild black hole in general relativity and find the complex quasinormal frequencies of two fundamental modes and their first two overtones. We demonstrate that the technique is robust and accurate, in the Schwarzschild case leading to relative fractional errors of $\leq 10^{-10} - 10^{-8}$ for the fundamental modes, $\leq 10^{-7} - 10^{-6}$ for their first overtones, $\leq 10^{-7} - 10^{-4}$ for their second overtones. This method can be applied to any black hole spacetime, irrespective of its Petrov type, making the numerical technique extremely powerful in the study of black hole ringdown in and outside general relativity.