Self-force Effects Research Articles

Spin and Susceptibility Effects of Electromagnetic Self-Force in Effective Field Theory.

The classic Abraham-Lorentz-Dirac self-force of pointlike particles is generalized within an effective field theory setup to include linear spin and susceptibility effects described perturbatively, in that setup, by effective couplings in the action. Electromagnetic self-interactions of the pointlike particle are integrated out using the in-in supersymmetric worldline quantum field theory formalism. Divergences are regularized with dimensional regularization, and the resulting equations of motion are in terms only of an external electromagnetic field and the particle degrees of freedom.

Self-force effects around charged (2+1)-dimensional BTZ black hole in the Einstein–Gauss–Bonnet gravity

In this paper, we discuss a mode sum regularization method for the self-force acting on a charged test particle moving around a Banados, Teitelboim and Zanelli (BTZ) black hole. First, we have calculated the self-force on each individual mode. Then we evaluated our result by summing up the contribution on each mode. We studied a general scheme for static black holes and then present the result for radial trajectories around [Formula: see text]-dimensional charged BTZ black hole in Einstein–Gauss–Bonnet (EGB) gravity. We find that the parameter which is coupling ([Formula: see text]) GR to Einstein–Gauss–Bonnet gravity has a significant impact on the self-force.

Destroying Kaluza–Klein black holes

We investigate the destroying of charged and rotating black holes in Einstein–Maxwell-(dilaton) theory. We show that a test particle with some appropriate properties in the black hole background can turn the black hole into a naked singularity. In this work, we neglect the self-force, self-energy and radiative effects as considered by some others in literature. As the result, we are able to show that the Kaluza–Klein black holes can be destroyed by the test particle. Furthermore, we consider the overspinning of the black hole by a neutral test scalar field.

Testing the weak cosmic censorship conjecture for extremal magnetized Kerr–Newman black holes

We test the weak cosmic censorship conjecture for magnetized Kerr–Newman spacetime via the method of injecting a test particle. Hence, we need to know how the black hole’s parameters change when a test particle enters the horizon. This was an unresolved issue for non-asymptotically flat spacetimes since there are ambiguities on the energies of black holes and particles. We find a novel approach to solve the problem. We start with the “physical process version” of the first law, which relates the particle’s parameters with the change in the area of the black hole. By comparing this first law with the usual first law of black hole thermodynamics, we redefine the particle’s energy such that the energy can match the mass parameter of the black hole. Then, we show that the horizon of the extremal magnetized Kerr–Newman black hole could be destroyed after a charged test particle falls in, which leads to a possible violation of the weak cosmic censorship conjecture. We also find that the allowed parameter range for this process is very small, which indicates that after the self-force and radiation effects are taken into account, the weak cosmic censorship conjecture could still be valid. In contrast to the case where the magnetic field is absent, the particle cannot be released at infinity to destroy the horizon. And in the case of a weak magnetic field, the releasing point becomes closer to the horizon as the magnetic field increases. This indicates that the magnetic field makes the violation of the cosmic censorship more difficult. Finally, by applying our new method to Kerr–Newman–dS (AdS) black holes, which are well-known non-asymptotically flat spacetimes, we obtain the expression of the particle’s energy which matches the black hole’s mass parameter.

Destroying general family of rotating and accelerating charged Plebanski–Demianski black holes

Neglecting the self-energy, self-force and radiative effects, we apply Wald’s Gedanken experiment to destroy the general family of rotating and accelerating charged Plebanski–Demianski (PD) black hole (BH) by capturing a test-charged particle. We investigate that an extremal or a near-extremal PD BH can turn into a naked singularity by capturing the test particle. We also discuss the overspinning of PD BHs with a neutral test scalar field. Furthermore, we discuss the destruction of the near-extremal PD BH with the neutrino fields.

Self-force effects in post-Minkowskian scattering

Abstract We revisit the old problem of the self-force on a particle moving in a weak-field spacetime in the context of renewed interest in two-body gravitational scattering. We analytically calculate the scalar, electromagnetic, and gravitational self-force on a particle moving on a straight-line trajectory at a large distance from a Newtonian star, and use these results to find the associated correction to its motion. In the gravitational case we must also include the matter-mediated force, which acts at the same perturbative order as the gravitational self-force. We further augment the gravitational results with geodesic calculations at second order in the central body mass to determine the full, explicit solution to the two-body gravitational scattering problem at second post-Minkowskian order (2PM). We calculate the momentum transfer (which reproduces Westpfahl’s old result), the change in mechanical angular momentum (which matches the radiative flux recently computed by Damour), and the change in mechanical mass moment (the time-space components of the angular momentum tensor), which has not previously appeared. Besides the new 2PM results of explicit trajectories and all conserved quantities, this work clarifies the role of gravitational self-force in PM scattering theory and provides a foundation for higher-order calculations.

The topological RN-AdS black holes cannot be overcharged by the new version of gedanken experiment

In this paper, we test the weak cosmic censorship conjecture (WCCC) for n≥4 dimensional nearly extremal RN-AdS black holes with non-trivial topologies, namely plane and hyperbola, using the new version of gedanken experiment proposed by Sorce and Wald. Provided that the non-electromagnetic part of the stress tensor of matter fields satisfies the null energy condition and the linear stability condition holds, we find that the black holes cannot be overcharged under the second-order perturbation approximation, which includes the self-force and finite-size effects. As a result, we conclude that the violation of Hubeny type never occurs and the WCCC holds for the topological RN-AdS black hole.

Destroying Kerr–Newman-Nut-Quintessence black hole

In this paper, we investigate the possibility of destroying the Kerr–Newman-Nut-Quintessence (KNNQ) black hole surrounded by the quintessence field, dust, and radiation with both the electric charge and magnetic charge. By neglecting the radiative, self-energy and self-force effects, it has been shown that a near extremal KNNQ black hole can turn into a naked singularity by the test particle both in the electric field as well as the magnetic field. In this work, we neglect the self-energy, self-force and radiative effects as considered by some others in the literature. We also investigate that the allowed parameter range for the particle is very narrow, indicating that radiative, self-energy and self-force effects are considered and may prevent violation of the cosmic censorship.

Resonant self-force effects in extreme-mass-ratio binaries: A scalar model

Extreme-mass ratio inspirals (EMRIs), compact binaries with small mass ratios $\epsilon\ll 1$, will be important sources for low-frequency gravitational wave detectors. Almost all EMRIs will evolve through important transient orbital $r\theta$ resonances, which will enhance or diminish their gravitational wave flux, thereby affecting the phase evolution of the waveforms at $O(\epsilon^{1/2})$ relative to leading order. While modeling the local gravitational self-force (GSF) during resonances is essential for generating accurate EMRI waveforms, so far the full GSF has not been calculated for an $r\theta$-resonant orbit owing to computational demands of the problem. As a first step we employ a simpler model, calculating the scalar self-force (SSF) along $r\theta$-resonant geodesics in Kerr spacetime. We demonstrate two ways of calculating the $r\theta$-resonant SSF (and likely GSF), with one method leaving the radial and polar motions initially independent as if the geodesic is nonresonant. We illustrate results by calculating the SSF along geodesics defined by three $r\theta$-resonant ratios (1:3, 1:2, 2:3). We show how the SSF and averaged evolution of the orbital constants vary with the initial phase at which an EMRI enters resonance. We then use our SSF data to test a previously proposed integrability conjecture, which argues that conservative effects vanish at adiabatic order during resonances. We find prominent contributions from the conservative SSF to the secular evolution of the Carter constant, $\langle \dot{\mathcal{Q}}\rangle$, but these nonvanishing contributions are on the order of, or less than, the estimated uncertainties of our self-force results. The uncertainties come from residual, incomplete removal of the singular field in the regularization process. Higher order regularization parameters, once available, will allow definitive tests of the integrability conjecture.

Self-Consistent Adiabatic Inspiral and Transition Motion.

The transition motion of a point particle around the last stable orbit of Kerr is described at leading order in the transition-timescale expansion. Taking systematically into account all self-force effects, we prove that the transition motion is still described by the Painlevé transcendent equation of the first kind. Using an asymptotically matched expansions scheme, we consistently match the quasicircular adiabatic inspiral with the transition motion. The matching requires us to take into account the secular change of angular velocity due to radiation reaction during the adiabatic inspiral, which consistently leads to a leading-order radial self-force in the slow timescale expansion.

Resonant self-force effects in extreme-mass-ratio binaries: A scalar model

Extreme-mass-ratio inspirals (EMRIs), compact binaries with small mass-ratios $\epsilon\ll 1$, will be important sources for low-frequency gravitational wave detectors. Almost all EMRIs will evolve through important transient orbital $r\theta$-resonances, which will enhance or diminish their gravitational wave flux, thereby affecting the phase evolution of the waveforms at $O(\epsilon^{1/2})$ relative to leading order. While modeling the local gravitational self-force (GSF) during resonances is essential for generating accurate EMRI waveforms, so far the full GSF has not been calculated for an $r\theta$-resonant orbit owing to computational demands of the problem. As a first step we employ a simpler model, calculating the scalar self-force (SSF) along $r\theta$-resonant geodesics in Kerr spacetime. We demonstrate two ways of calculating the $r\theta$-resonant SSF (and likely GSF), with one method leaving the radial and polar motions initially independent as if the geodesic is non-resonant. We illustrate results by calculating the SSF along geodesics defined by three $r\theta$-resonant ratios (1:3, 1:2, 2:3). We show how the SSF and averaged evolution of the orbital constants vary with the initial phase at which an EMRI enters resonance. We then use our SSF data to test a previously-proposed integrability conjecture, which argues that conservative effects vanish at adiabatic order during resonances. We find prominent contributions from the conservative SSF to the secular evolution of the Carter constant, $\langle \dot{\mathcal{Q}}\rangle$, but these non-vanishing contributions are on the order of, or less than, the estimated uncertainties of our self-force results. The uncertainties come from residual, incomplete removal of the singular field in the regularization process. Higher order regularization parameters, once available, will allow definitive tests of the integrability conjecture.

Overcharging nonlinear electrodynamic black holes at linear order and the weak cosmic censorship conjecture

Evidences have been found that the weak cosmic censorship conjecture could be violated if test particles with charge and angular momentum are injected into a black hole. However, second-order corrections and fine-tunings on the particle's parameters are required in previous studies, indicating that self-force and radiative effects must be taken into account. In this paper, we first consider a magnetically charged particle falling into an extremal Bardeen black hole, which is regular (with no singularity) and has a magnetic monopole at the center. We then investigate a general class of magnetic black holes with or without singularities. In all the cases, we show that the test particle with magnetic charge could overcharge the black hole, causing possible violation of the weak cosmic censorship conjecture. In contrast to previous arguments in the literature, second-order corrections are not necessary in our analysis and the results are not sensitive to the particle's parameters. Our work indicates that the self-force effect, which is related to the second-order correction, may not help rescue the weak cosmic censorship conjecture in our examples.

Second-Order Self-Force Calculation of Gravitational Binding Energy in Compact Binaries.

Self-force theory is the leading method of modeling extreme-mass-ratio inspirals (EMRIs), key sources for the gravitational-wave detector LISA. It is well known that for an accurate EMRI model, second-order self-force effects are critical, but calculations of these effects have been beset by obstacles. In this Letter we present the first implementation of a complete scheme for second-order self-force computations, specialized to the case of quasicircular orbits about a Schwarzschild black hole. As a demonstration, we calculate the gravitational binding energy of these binaries.

Self-force effects on the marginally bound zoom-whirl orbit in Schwarzschild spacetime

For a Schwarzchild black hole of mass $M$, we consider a test particle falling from rest at infinity and becoming trapped, at late time, on the unstable circular orbit of radius $r=4GM/c^2$. When the particle is endowed with a small mass, $\mu\ll M$, it experiences an effective gravitational self-force, whose conservative piece shifts the critical value of the angular momentum and the frequency of the asymptotic circular orbit away from their geodesic values. By directly integrating the self-force along the orbit (ignoring radiative dissipation), we numerically calculate these shifts to $O(\mu/M)$. Our numerical values are found to be in agreement with estimates first made within the Effective One Body formalism, and with predictions of the first law of black-hole-binary mechanics (as applied to the asymptotic circular orbit). Our calculation is based on a time-domain integration of the Lorenz-gauge perturbation equations, and it is a first such calculation for an unbound orbit. We tackle several technical difficulties specific to unbound orbits, illustrating how these may be handled in more general cases of unbound motion. Our method paves the way to calculations of the self-force along hyperbolic-type scattering orbits. Such orbits can probe the two-body potential down to the "light ring", and could thus supply strong-field calibration data for eccentricity-dependent terms in the Effective One Body model of merging binaries.

Spin self-force

We consider the motion of charged and spinning bodies on the symmetry axis of a non-extremal Kerr-Newman black hole. If one treats the body as a test point particle of mass, $m$, charge $q$, and spin $S$, then by dropping the body into the black hole from sufficiently near the horizon, the first order area increase, $\delta A$, of the black hole can be made arbitrarily small, i.e., the process can be done in a ``reversible'' manner. At second order, there may be effects on the energy delivered to the black hole---quadratic in $q$ and $S$---resulting from (i) the finite size of the body and (ii) self-force corrections to the energy. Sorce and Wald have calculated these effects for a charged, non-spinning body on the symmetry axis of an uncharged Kerr black hole. We consider the generalization of this process for a charged and spinning body on the symmetry axis of a Kerr-Newman black hole, where the self-force effects have not been calculated. A spinning body (with negligible extent along the spin axis) must have a mass quadrupole moment $\gtrsim S^2/m$, so at quadratic order in the spin, we must take into account quadrupole effects on the motion. After taking into account all such finite size effects, we find that the condition $\delta^2 A \geq 0$ yields a nontrivial lower bound on the self-force energy, $E_{SF}$, at the horizon. In particular, for an uncharged, spinning body on the axis of a Kerr black hole of mass $M$, the net contribution of spin self-force to the energy of the body at the horizon is $E_{SF} \geq S^2/8M^3$, corresponding to an overall repulsive spin self-force. A lower bound for the self-force energy, $E_{SF}$, for a body with both charge and spin at the horizon of a Kerr-Newman black hole is given. This lower bound will be the correct formula for $E_{SF}$ if the dropping process can be done reversibly to second order.

Spin and quadrupole couplings for high spin equatorial intermediate mass-ratio coalescences

Intermediate mass-ratio coalescences are potential signals of ground-based and space-based gravitational observatories. Accurate modeling of their waveforms within general relativity can be achieved within black hole perturbation theory including self-force and finite size effects. In this paper, we present analytic results to the Teukolsky perturbation of equatorial orbits in the near-horizon region of an extremely high spin black hole including spin coupling and finite size effects at leading order in the high spin limit while neglecting the self-force. We detail the critical behavior occuring close to the smallest specific angular momentum, and we discuss features of spin and quadrupole couplings.

Electromagnetic self-force in the five dimensional Myers–Perry space–time

We calculate the effects of the electromagnetic self-force on a charged particle outside a five dimensional Myers–Perry space–time. Based on our earlier work (Mirzaiyan et al., 2018), we obtain the self-force using quaternions in Janis–Newman and Giampieri algorithms. In four dimensional rotating space–time the electromagnetic self-force is repulsive at any point, however, in five dimensional rotational space–time, we find a point r0 where the electromagnetic self-force vanishes. For r<r0 (r>r0) the electromagnetic self-force is attractive (repulsive).

Weak cosmic censorship conjecture in Kerr black holes of modified gravity

By neglecting the effects of self-force and radiation, we investigate the possibility of destroying the Kerr-MOG black hole through the point particle absorption process. Using the instability of event horizon and equation of particle motion, we get the upper and lower energy bounds allowed for a matter particle to produce the naked singularity. We find that the energy gap always exists between the upper and lower energy bounds for both extremal and near-extremal black holes, which means some tailored particles can actually lead to the violation of the weak cosmic censorship conjecture. However, when considering the effect of the adiabatic process, the result shows that the Kerr-MOG black hole gets more stable instead of a naked singularity, and thus the weak cosmic censorship conjecture can be restored at some level.

“Flux-balance formulae” for extreme mass-ratio inspirals

The "flux-balance formulae" that determine the averaged evolution of energy, azimuthal angular momentum, and Carter constant in terms of the averaged asymptotic gravitational-wave fluxes for inspirals of small bodies into Kerr black holes were first derived about 15 years ago. However, this derivation is restricted to the case that the background Kerr geodesics are non-resonant (i.e., the radial and angular motions are always incommensurate), and excludes the resonant case that can be important for the radiative dynamics of extreme mass-ratio inspirals. We give here a new derivation of the flux formulae based on Hamiltonian dynamics of a self-forced particle motion, which is a valuable tool for analyzing self-force effects on generic (eccentric, inclined) bound orbits in the Kerr spacetime. This Hamiltonian derivation using action-angle variables is much simpler than the previous one, applies to resonant inspirals without any complication, and can be straightforwardly implemented by using analytical/numerical Teukolsky-based flux codes.

Kerr–Newman black holes cannot be over-charged or over-spun

I describe research done in collaboration with J. Sorce showing that one cannot over-charge and/or over-spin an initially slightly nonextremal Kerr–Newman black hole via the type of gedanken experiments proposed by Hubeny and others, assuming that the nonelectromagnetic stress-energy tensor of the matter entering the black hole satisfies the null energy condition. Analysis of such gedanken experiments requires that we calculate all effects on the final mass of the black hole that are second-order in the charge and the angular momentum carried into the black hole. We do so using Lagrangian methods, and our formula for the second-order correction to mass, [Formula: see text], is obtained by generalizing the canonical energy analysis of Hollands and Wald to the Einstein–Maxwell case. Our formula for [Formula: see text] automatically includes all self-force and finite size effects.