Solutions Of General Relativity Research Articles

Limiting magnetic field for minimal deformation of a magnetized neutron star

Aims. In this work, we study the structure of neutron stars under the effect of a poloidal magnetic field and determine the limiting largest magnetic field strength that induces a deformation such that the ratio between the polar and equatorial radii does not exceed 2%. We consider that, under these conditions, the description of magnetic neutron stars in the spherical symmetry regime is still satisfactory. Methods. We described different compositions of stars (nucleonic, hyperonic, and hybrid) using three state-of-the-art relativistic mean field models (NL3ωρ, MBF, and CMF, respectively) for the microscopic description of matter, all in agreement with standard experimental and observational data. The structure of stars was described by the general relativistic solution of both Einstein’s field equations assuming spherical symmetry and Einstein-Maxwell’s field equations assuming an axi-symmetric deformation. Results. We find a limiting magnetic moment on the order of 2 × 1031 Am2, which corresponds to magnetic fields on the order of 1016 G at the surface and 1017 G at the center of the star, above which the deformation due to the magnetic field is above 2%, and therefore not negligible. We show that the intensity of the magnetic field developed in the star depends on the equation of state (EoS), and, for a given baryonic mass and fixed magnetic moment, larger fields are attained with softer EoS. We also show that the appearance of exotic degrees of freedom, such as hyperons or a quark core, is disfavored in the presence of a very strong magnetic field. As a consequence, a highly magnetized nucleonic star may suffer an internal conversion due to the decay of the magnetic field, which could be accompanied by a sudden cooling of the star or a gamma ray burst.

Flat Connection for Rotating Vacuum Spacetimes in Extended Teleparallel Gravity Theories

Teleparallel geometry utilizes Weitzenböck connection which has nontrivial torsion but no curvature and does not directly follow from the metric like Levi–Civita connection. In extended teleparallel theories, for instance in f ( T ) or scalar-torsion gravity, the connection must obey its antisymmetric field equations. Thus far, only a few analytic solutions were known. In this note, we solve the f ( T , ϕ ) gravity antisymmetric vacuum field equations for a generic rotating tetrad ansatz in Weyl canonical coordinates, and find the corresponding spin connection coefficients. By a coordinate transformation, we present the solution also in Boyer–Lindquist coordinates, often used to study rotating solutions in general relativity. The result hints for the existence of another branch of rotating solutions besides the Kerr family in extended teleparallel gravities.

Cosmological instability of scalar-Gauss-Bonnet theories exhibiting scalarization

In a subclass of scalar-tensor theories, it has been shown that standard general relativity solutions of neutron stars and black holes with trivial scalar field profiles are unstable. Such an instability leads to solutions which are different from those of general relativity and have non-trivial scalar field profiles, in a process called scalarization. In the present work we focus on scalarization due to a non-minimal coupling of the scalar field to the Gauss-Bonnet curvature invariant. The coupling acts as a tachyonic mass for the scalar mode, thus leading to the instability of general relativity solutions. We point out that a similar effect may occur for the scalar modes in a cosmological background, resulting in the instability of cosmological solutions. In particular, we show that a catastrophic instability develops during inflation within a period of time much shorter than the minimum required duration of inflation. As a result, the standard cosmological dynamics is not recovered. This raises the question of the viability of scalar-Gauss-Bonnet theories exhibiting scalarization.

Interstellar travels aboard radiation-powered rockets

We model accelerated trips at high-velocity aboard light sails (beam-powered propulsion in general) and radiation rockets (thrust by anisotropic emission of radiation) in terms of Kinnersley's solution of general relativity and its associated geodesics. The analysis of radiation rockets relativistic kinematics shows that the true problem of interstellar travel is not really the amount of propellant, nor the duration of the trip but rather its tremendous energy cost. Indeed, a flyby of Proxima Centauri with an ultralight gram-scale laser sail would require the energy produced by a 1 GW power plant during about one day, while more than 15 times the current world energy production would be required for sending a 100 tons radiation rocket to the nearest star system. The deformation of the local celestial sphere aboard radiation rockets is obtained through the null geodesics of Kinnersley's spacetime in the Hamiltonian formulation. It is shown how relativistic aberration and Doppler effect for the accelerated traveller differ from their description in special relativity for motion at constant velocity. We also show how our results could interestingly be extended to extremely luminous events like the large amount of gravitational waves emitted by binary black hole mergers.

Parametrized black hole quasinormal ringdown: Decoupled equations for nonrotating black holes

Black hole solutions in general relativity are simple. The frequency spectrum of linear perturbations around these solutions (i.e., the quasinormal modes) is also simple, and therefore it is a prime target for fundamental tests of black hole spacetimes and of the underlying theory of gravity. The following technical calculations must be performed to understand the imprints of any modified gravity theory on the spectrum: 1. Identify a healthy theory; 2. Find black hole solutions within the theory; 3. Compute the equations governing linearized perturbations around the black hole spacetime; 4. Solve these equations to compute the characteristic quasinormal modes. In this work (the first of a series) we assume that the background spacetime has spherical symmetry, that the relevant physics is always close to general relativity, and that there is no coupling between the perturbation equations. Under these assumptions, we provide the general numerical solution to step 4. We provide publicly available data files such that the quasinormal modes of {\em any} spherically symmetric spacetime can be computed (in principle) to arbitrary precision once the linearized perturbation equations are known. We show that the isospectrality between the even- and odd-parity quasinormal mode spectra is fragile, and we identify the necessary conditions to preserve it. Finally, we point out that new modes can appear in the spectrum even in setups that are perturbatively close to general relativity.

Charged spherically symmetric black holes inf(R)gravity and their stability analysis

A new class of analytic charged spherically symmetric black hole solutions, which behave asymptotically as flat or (A)dS spacetimes, is derived for specific classes of $f(R)$ gravity, i.e., $f(R)=R-2\alpha\sqrt{R}$ and $f(R)=R-2\alpha\sqrt{R-8\Lambda}$, where $\Lambda$ is the cosmological constant. These black holes are characterized by the dimensional parameter $\alpha$ that makes solutions deviate from the standard solutions of general relativity. The Kretschmann scalar and squared Ricci tensor are shown to depend on the parameter $\alpha$ which is not allowed to be zero. Thermodynamical quantities, like entropy, Hawking temperature, quasi-local energy and the Gibbs free energy are calculated. From these calculations, it is possible to put a constrain on the dimensional parameter $\alpha$ to have $0<\alpha<0.5$, so that all thermodynamical quantities have a physical meaning. The interesting result of these calculations is the possibility of a negative black hole entropy. Furthermore, present calculations show that for negative energy, particles inside a black hole, behave as if they have a negative entropy. This fact gives rise to instability for $f_{RR}<0$. Finally, we study the linear metric perturbations of the derived black hole solution. We show that for the odd-type modes, our black hole is always stable and has a radial speed with fixed value equal to $1$. We also, use the geodesic deviation to derive further stability conditions.

Relaxations of perturbations of spacetimes in general relativity coupled to nonlinear electrodynamics

Three well known exact regular solutions of general relativity (GR) coupled to nonlinear electrodynamics (NED), namely the Maxwellian, Bardeen and Hayward regular spacetimes, which can describe either a regular black hole or a geometry without horizons, have been considered. Relaxation times for the scalar, electromagnetic (EM) and gravitational perturbations of black holes (BHs) and no-horizon spacetimes have been estimated in comparison with the ones of the Schwarzschild and Reissner-Nordstr\"{o}m (RN) spacetimes. It has been shown that the considered geometries in GR coupled to the NED have never vanishing circular photon orbits and on account of this fact these spacetimes always oscillate the EM perturbations with quasinormal frequencies (QNFs). Moreover we have shown that the EM perturbations in the eikonal regime can be a powerful tool to confirm that (i) the light rays do not follow null geodesics in the NED by the relaxation rates; (ii) if the underlying solution has a correct weak field limit to the Maxwell electrodynamics (LED) by the angular velocity of the circular photon orbit.

Hairy Schwarzschild-(A)dS black hole solutions in degenerate higher order scalar-tensor theories beyond shift symmetry

We derive the general conditions for a large family of shift symmetry breaking degenerate higher order scalar-tensor (DHOST) theories to admit stealth black hole solutions. Such black hole configurations correspond to vacuum solutions of General Relativity and admit a scalar hair which does not gravitate, revealing itself only at the perturbative level. We focus our investigation on hairy Schwarzschild-(A)dS or pure Schwarzschild solutions, dressed with a linear time-dependent scalar hair, and assuming a constant kinetic term. We also discuss subclasses of this family which satisfy the observational constraint $c_{\text{grav}}=c_{\text{light}}$, as well as the recent constraint ensuring the absence of graviton decay. We provide at the end concrete examples of DHOST lagrangians satisfying our conditions. This work provides a first analysis of exact black hole solutions in shift symmetry breaking DHOST theories beyond Horndeski.

Obtaining analytical approximations to black hole solutions in higher-derivative gravity using the homotopy analysis method

The Homotopy Analysis Method (HAM) is considered as a very useful method for obtaining analytical approximate solutions to various nonlinear differential equations arising in many different areas of science and engineering. Despite this, it is seldom used to obtain solutions in General Relativity and particularly higher order theories of gravity, where due to the complexity and nonlinearity of the field equations, most of the known solutions are numerical. We consider the case of a non-Schwarzschild static and spherically symmetric black hole solution in higher derivative gravity that has been studied recently. We obtain an analytical approximation using HAM and compare it with the numerical solution.

Exploring Levi-Civita’s cylindrical solutions in f ( G , T ) $f(\mathcal{G},T)$ gravity

An exact solution pertaining to the existence of cosmic strings has been discussed for a cylindrically symmetric $f(\mathcal{G},T)$ gravity model, with $\mathcal{G}$ being the Gauss-Bonnet invariant and $T$ the trace of energy momentum tensor. This solution corresponds to the generalised vacuum Levi-Civita’s metric in general relativity. Exclusive expressions for the energy density and pressure terms along with their corresponding null energy constraints have been worked out and analyzed graphically. It has been shown that the energy density remains positive and the null energy conditions are met largely for some particular choices of the parametric terms appearing in the model. However, certain violation of these energy constraints under specific circumstances hints the existence of cylindrical wormholes. Moreover, if the coupling constant of the Gauss-Bonnet invariant is set to null, Levi-Civita vacuum solution in general relativity is recovered.

Shape dependence of spontaneous scalarization

Spontaneous scalarization is an interesting mechanism for modification of gravity by nonminimal coupling of a scalar field to matter or curvature invariants in the context of scalar-tensor theories, and its onset is signaled by linear instability of the scalar field around the corresponding general relativity solution. We thus perform the linear stability analysis of the scalar field about general relativity solutions and highlight a crucial difference between a spherically symmetric profile and a planar symmetric profile. We clarify that the critical value for the instability is sensitive to the morphology and that the spontaneous scalarization occurs much more easily with the planar symmetric shape than with the spherically symmetric shape.

A comparative study of Kaluza–Klein model with magnetic field in Lyra manifold and general relativity

Kaluza–Klein (K–K) dark energy (DE) cosmological models in presence of magnetized anisotropic fluid have been examined in normal gauge for the field equations for Lyra’s manifold where gauge function β is taken as the function of time. We have chosen the scale factor a(t)=[tkexp(t)]1n (k ≥ 0, n ≥ 0) as the generalized Hybrid expansion law which yields the time-dependent deceleration parameter (DP), to obtain the deterministic solutions of field equations, speaking to a class of models which produce the transition of the universe from the early decelerating stage to the ongoing accelerating stage. The dark energy EoS (ω) is observed to be the time-dependent and its current range for inferred models is in great concurrence with the ongoing observations. For various estimations of (n, k), we can produce a class of physically suitable DE models in K–K theory. The anisotropy of the model vanishes and become isotropic under the suitable condition. The solutions are likewise compared with the solutions in general relativity and without magnetic field. The geometric and physical properties of both the models are likewise talked about in detail.

Bardeen regular black hole as a quantum-corrected Schwarzschild black hole

Bardeen regular black hole is commonly considered as a solution of general relativity coupled to a nonlinear electrodynamics. In this paper, it is shown that the Bardeen solution may be interpreted as a quantum-corrected Schwarzschild black hole. This new interpretation is obtained by means of a generalized uncertainty principle applied to the Hawking temperature. Moreover, using the regular black hole of Bardeen, it is possible to evaluate the quantum gravity parameter of the generalized uncertainty principle or, assuming the recent upper bounds for such a parameter, to verify an enormous discrepancy between a cosmological constant and that measured by recent cosmological observations [Formula: see text].

Modeling the Rising Tails of Galaxy Rotation Curves

It is well known, but under-appreciated in astrophysical applications, that it is possible for gravity to take on a life of its own in the form of Weyl-curvature-only metrics (note that we are referring to the Weyl-only solutions of ordinary General Relativity; we are not considering Weyl conformal gravity or any other modified gravity theories), as numerous examples demonstrate the existence of gravitational fields not being sourced by any matter. In the weak field limit, such autonomous gravitational contents of our universe manifest as solutions to the homogeneous Poisson’s equation. In this note, we tentatively explore the possibility that they may perhaps account for some phenomenologies commonly attributed to dark matter. Specifically, we show that a very simple solution of this kind exists that can be utilized to describe the rising tails seen in many galaxy rotation curves, which had been difficult to reconcile within the cold dark matter or modified Newtonian dynamics frameworks. This solution may also help explain the universal ∼1 Gyr rotation periods of galaxies in the local universe.

Charged rotating black holes coupled with nonlinear electrodynamics Maxwell field in the mimetic gravity

In mimetic gravity, we derive D-dimension charged black hole solutions having flat or cylindrical horizons with zero curvature boundary. The asymptotic behaviours of these black holes behave as (A)dS. We study both linear and nonlinear forms of the Maxwell field equations in two separate contexts. For the nonlinear case, we derive a new solution having a metric with monopole, dipole and quadrupole terms. The most interesting feature of this black hole is that its dipole and quadruple terms are related by a constant. However, the solution reduces to the linear case of the Maxwell field equations when this constant acquires a null value. Also, we apply a coordinate transformation and derive rotating black hole solutions (for both linear and nonlinear cases). We show that the nonlinear black hole has stronger curvature singularities than the corresponding known black hole solutions in general relativity. We show that the obtained solutions could have at most two horizons. We determine the critical mass of the degenerate horizon at which the two horizons coincide. We study the thermodynamical stability of the solutions. We note that the nonlinear electrodynamics contributes to process a second-order phase transition whereas the heat capacity has an infinite discontinuity.

General relativistic two-temperature accretion solutions for spherical flows around black holes

Matter falling onto black holes is hot, fully ionized and has to be necessarily transonic. Since the electrons are responsible for radiative cooling via processes like synchrotron, bremsstrahlung and inverse-Compton, the electron gas and proton gas are supposed to settle into two separate temperature distribution. But the problem with two-temperature flow is that there is one more variable than the number of equations. Accretion flow in its simplest form is radial, which has two constants of motion, while the flow variables are the radial bulk three-velocity, electron and proton temperatures. Therefore, unlike single temperature flow, in the two-temperature regime, there are multiple transonic solutions, nonunique for any given set of constants of motion with a large variation in sonic points. We invoked the second law of thermodynamics to find a possible way to break the degeneracy, by showing only one of the solutions among all possible, has maximum entropy and therefore is the correct solution. By considering these correct solutions, we showed that the accretion efficiency increase with the increase in the mass accretion rate. We showed that radial flow onto super-massive black hole can radiate with efficiency more than 10%, if the accretion rate is more than 60% of the Eddington accretion rate, but accretion onto stellar-mass black hole achieve the same efficiency, when it is close to the Eddington limit. We also showed that dissipative heat quantitatively affects the two temperature solution. In the presence of explicit heat processes, the Coulomb coupling is weak.

Rainbow-Like Black-Hole Metric from Loop Quantum Gravity

Hypersurface deformation algebra consists of a fruitful approach to derive deformed solutions of general relativity based on symmetry considerations with quantum-gravity effects, of which the linearization has been recently demonstrated to be connected to the DSR program by κ -Poincaré symmetry. Based on this approach, we analyzed the solution derived for the interior of a black hole and we found similarities with the so-called rainbow metrics, like a momentum-dependence of the metric functions. Moreover, we derived an effective, time-dependent Planck length and compared different regularization schemes.

Black holes and stars in the minimal theory of massive gravity

In this letter, we show that any solution of general relativity (GR) that can be rendered spatially flat by a coordinate change is also a solution of the self-accelerating branch of the minimal theory of massive gravity (MTMG), with or without matter. We then for the first time obtain black hole and star solutions in a theory of massive gravity that agree with the corresponding solutions in GR and that are free from strong coupling issues. This in particular implies that the parametrized post-Newtonian parameters $\beta^{\rm PPN}$ and $\gamma^{\rm PPN}$ are unity, as in GR. We further show how these solutions can be embedded in a cosmological setting. While cosmological scales have already been considered in previous works, this is the first study of the phenomenology at shorter scales of the self-accelerating branch of MTMG.

The scalarised Schwarzschild-NUT spacetime

It has recently been suggested that vacuum black holes of General Relativity (GR) can become spontaneously scalarised when appropriate non-minimal couplings to curvature invariants are considered. These models circumvent the standard black hole no scalar hair theorems of GR, allowing both the standard GR solutions and new scalarised (a.k.a. hairy) solutions, which in some cases are thermodynamically preferred. Up to now, however, only (static and spherically symmetric) scalarised Schwarzschild solutions have been considered. It would be desirable to take into account the effect of rotation; however, the higher curvature invariants introduce a considerable challenge in obtaining the corresponding scalarised rotating black holes. As a toy model for rotation, we present here the scalarised generalisation of the Schwarzschild-NUT solution, taking either the Gauss–Bonnet (GB) or the Chern–Simons (CS) curvature invariant. The NUT charge n endows spacetime with “rotation”, but the angular dependence of the corresponding scalarised solutions factorises, leading to a considerable technical simplification. For GB, but not for CS, scalarisation occurs for n=0. This basic difference leads to a distinct space of solutions in the CS case, in particular exhibiting a double branch structure. In the GB case, increasing the horizon area demands a stronger non-minimal coupling for scalarisation; in the CS case, due to the double branch structure, both this and the opposite trend are found. We briefly comment also on the scalarised Reissner–Nordström-NUT solutions.

Electromagnetic perturbations of black holes in general relativity coupled to nonlinear electrodynamics: Polar perturbations

The \textit{axial} electromagnetic (EM) perturbations of the black hole (BH) solutions in general relativity coupled to nonlinear electrodynamics (NED) were studied for both electrically and magnetically charged BHs, assuming that the EM perturbations do not alter the spacetime geometry in our preceding paper [Phys. Rev. D 97, 084058 (2018)]. Here, as a continuation of that work, the formalism for the \textit{polar} EM perturbations of the BHs in general relativity coupled to the NED is presented. We show that the quasinormal modes (QNMs) spectra of polar EM perturbations of the electrically and magnetically charged BHs in the NED are not isospectral, contrary to the case of the standard Reissner-Nordstr\"{o}m BHs in the classical linear electrodynamics. It is shown by the detailed study of QNMs properties in the eikonal approximation that the EM perturbations can be a powerful tool to confirm that in the NED light ray does not follow the null geodesics of the spacetime. By specifying the NED model and comparing axial and polar EM perturbations of the electrically and magnetically charged BHs, it is shown that QNM spectra of the axial EM perturbations of magnetically (electrically) charged BH and polar EM perturbations of the electrically (magnetically) charged BH are isospectral, i.e., $\omega_{mag}^{ax}\approx\omega_{el}^{pol}$ ($\omega_{mag}^{pol}\approx\omega_{el}^{ax}$).