Generic Orbits Research Articles

Dynamics of extended bodies with spin-induced quadrupole in Kerr spacetime: generic orbits

We discuss motions of extended bodies in Kerr spacetime by using Mathisson-Papapetrou-Dixon equations. We firstly solve the conditions for circular orbits, and calculate the orbital frequency shift due to the mass quadrupoles. The results show that we need not consider the spin-induced quadrupoles in extreme-mass-ratio inspirals for spatial gravitational wave detectors. We quantitatively investigate the temporal variation of rotational velocity of the extended body due to the coupling of quadrupole and background gravitational field. For generic orbits, we numerically integrate the Mathisson-Papapetrou-Dixon equations for evolving the motion of an extended body orbiting a Kerr black hole. By comparing with the monopole-dipole approximation, we reveal the influences of quadrupole moments of extended bodies on the orbital motion and chaotic dynamics of extreme-mass-ratio systems. We do not find any chaotic orbits for the extended bodies with physical spins and spin-induced quadrupoles. Possible implications for gravitational wave detection and pulsar timing observation are outlined.

Approximation of points in the plane by generic lattice orbits

We give upper and lower bounds for Diophantine exponents measuring how well a point in the plane can be approximated by points in the orbit of a lattice \begin{document}$\Gamma acting linearly on \begin{document}${\mathbb{R}^2}$\end{document} . Our method gives bounds that are uniform for almost all orbits.

Generic orbits and type isolation in the Gurarij space

We study the question of when the space of embeddings of a separable Banach space $E$ into the separable Gurarij space $\mathbf G$ admits a generic orbit under the action of the linear isometry group of $\mathbf G$. The question is recast in model-theoretic terms, namely type isolation and the existence of prime models. We characterise isolated types over $E$ using tools from convex analysis. We show that if the set of isolated types over $E$ is dense, then a dense $G\_\delta$ orbit exists, and otherwise all orbits are meagre. We then study some (families of) examples with respect to this dichotomy. We also point out that the class of Gurarij spaces is the class of models of an $\aleph\_0$-categorical theory with quantifier elimination, and calculate the density character of the space of types over $E$, answering a question of Avil{\'e}s et al.

Gravitational-wave signatures of exotic compact objects and of quantum corrections at the horizon scale

Gravitational waves from binary coalescences provide one of the cleanest signatures of the nature of compact objects. It has been recently argued that the post-merger ringdown waveform of exotic ultracompact objects is initially identical to that of a black-hole, and that putative corrections at the horizon scale will appear as secondary pulses after the main burst of radiation. Here we extend this analysis in three important directions: (i) we show that this result applies to a large class of exotic compact objects with a photon sphere for generic orbits in the test-particle limit; (ii) we investigate the late-time ringdown in more detail, showing that it is universally characterized by a modulated and distorted train of "echoes" of the modes of vibration associated with the photon sphere; (iii) we study for the first time equal-mass, head-on collisions of two ultracompact boson stars and compare their gravitational-wave signal to that produced by a pair of black-holes. If the initial objects are compact enough as to mimic a binary black-hole collision up to the merger, the final object exceeds the maximum mass for boson stars and collapses to a black-hole. This suggests that - in some configurations - the coalescence of compact boson stars might be almost indistinguishable from that of black-holes. On the other hand, generic configurations display peculiar signatures that can be searched for in gravitational-wave data as smoking guns of exotic compact objects.

On the Liouville Integrability of the Periodic Kostant–Toda Flow on Matrix Loops of Level k

In this work, we consider the periodic Kostant–Toda flow on matrix loops in \({\mathfrak{s}\mathfrak{l}(n,\mathbb{C})}\) of level k, which correspond to periodic infinite band matrices with period n with lower bandwidth equal to k and fixed upper bandwidth equal to 1 with 1’s on the first superdiagonal. We show that the coadjoint orbits through the submanifold of such matrix loops can be identified with those of a finite-dimensional Lie group, which appears in the form of a semi-direct product. We then characterize the generic coadjoint orbits and obtain an explicit global cross-section for such orbits. We also establish the Liouville integrability of the periodic Kostant–Toda flow on such orbits via the construction of action-angle variables.

Strong-field tidal distortions of rotating black holes. II. Horizon dynamics from eccentric and inclined orbits

In a previous paper, we developed tools for studying the horizon geometry of a Kerr black hole that is tidally distorted by a binary companion using techniques that require large mass ratios but can be applied to any bound orbit and allow for arbitrary black hole spin. We now apply these tools to generic Kerr black hole orbits. This allows us to investigate horizon dynamics: the tidal field perturbing the horizon's geometry varies over a generic orbit, with significant variations for eccentric orbits. Many of the features of the horizon's behavior found previously carry over to the dynamical case in a natural way. In particular, we find significant offsets between the applied tide and the horizon's response. This leads to bulging in the horizon's geometry which can lag or lead the orbit, depending upon the hole's rotation and the orbit's geometry. An interesting and apparently new feature we find are small-amplitude, high-frequency oscillations in the horizon's response. We have not been able to identify a mechanism for producing these oscillations, but find that they appear most clearly when rapidly rotating black holes are distorted by very strong-field orbits.

Gyroscopes orbiting black holes: A frequency-domain approach to precession and spin-curvature coupling for spinning bodies on generic Kerr orbits

A small body orbiting a black hole follows a trajectory that, at leading order, is a geodesic of the black hole spacetime. Much effort has gone into computing "self force" corrections to this motion, arising from the small body's own contributions to the system's spacetime. Another correction to the motion arises from coupling of the small body's spin to the black hole's spacetime curvature. Spin-curvature coupling drives a precession of the small body, and introduces a "force" (relative to the geodesic) which shifts the small body's worldline. These effects scale with the small body's spin at leading order. In this paper, we show that the equations which govern spin-curvature coupling can be analyzed with a frequency-domain decomposition, at least to leading order in the small body's spin. We show how to compute the frequency of precession along generic orbits, and how to describe the small body's precession and motion in the frequency domain. We illustrate this approach with a number of examples. This approach is likely to be useful for understanding spin coupling effects in the extreme mass ratio limit, and may provide insight into modeling spin effects in the strong field for non-extreme mass ratios.

Conformal differential invariants

We compute the Hilbert polynomial and the Poincare function counting the number of fixed jet-order differential invariants of conformal metric structures modulo local diffeomorphisms, and we describe the field of rational differential invariants separating generic orbits of the diffeomorphism pseudogroup action. This resolves the local recognition problem for conformal structures.

Differential invariants of self-dual conformal structures

We compute the quotient of the self-duality equation for conformal metrics by the action of the diffeomorphism group. We also determine Hilbert polynomial, counting the number of independent scalar differential invariants depending on the jet-order, and the corresponding Poincar\'e function. We describe the field of rational differential invariants separating generic orbits of the diffeomorphism pseudogroup action, resolving the local recognition problem for self-dual conformal structures.

Canonical Hamiltonian for an extended test body in curved spacetime: To quadratic order in spin

We derive a Hamiltonian for an extended spinning test body in a curved background spacetime, to quadratic order in the spin, in terms of three-dimensional position, momentum, and spin variables having canonical Poisson brackets. This requires a careful analysis of how changes of the spin supplementary condition are related to shifts of the body's representative worldline and transformations of the body's multipole moments, and we employ bitensor calculus for a precise framing of this analysis. We apply the result to the case of the Kerr spacetime and thereby compute an explicit canonical Hamiltonian for the test-body limit of the spinning two-body problem in general relativity, valid for generic orbits and spin orientations, to quadratic order in the test spin. This fully relativistic Hamiltonian is then expanded in post-Newtonian orders and in powers of the Kerr spin parameter, allowing comparisons with the test-mass limits of available post-Newtonian results. Both the fully relativistic Hamiltonian and the results of its expansion can inform the construction of waveform models, especially effective-one-body models, for the analysis of gravitational waves from compact binaries.

Boundary components of Mumford–Tate domains

We study certain spaces of nilpotent orbits in Hodge domains, and treat a number of examples. More precisely, we compute the Mumford-Tate group of the limit mixed Hodge structure of a generic such orbit. The result is used to present these spaces as iteratively fibered algebraic-group orbits in a minimal way. We conclude with two applications to variations of Hodge structure.

Indirect (source-free) integration method. I. Wave-forms from geodesic generic orbits of EMRIs

The Regge–Wheeler–Zerilli (RWZ) wave-equation describes Schwarzschild–Droste black hole perturbations. The source term contains a Dirac distribution and its derivative. We have previously designed a method of integration in time domain. It consists of a finite difference scheme where analytic expressions, dealing with the wave-function discontinuity through the jump conditions, replace the direct integration of the source and the potential. Herein, we successfully apply the same method to the geodesic generic orbits of EMRI (Extreme Mass Ratio Inspiral) sources, at second order. An EMRI is a Compact Star (CS) captured by a Super-Massive Black Hole (SMBH). These are considered the best probes for testing gravitation in strong regime. The gravitational wave-forms, the radiated energy and angular momentum at infinity are computed and extensively compared with other methods, for different orbits (circular, elliptic, parabolic, including zoom-whirl).

Affine symmetries of orbit polytopes

An orbit polytope is the convex hull of an orbit under a finite group G⩽GL(d,R). We develop a general theory of possible affine symmetry groups of orbit polytopes. For every group, we define an open and dense set of generic points such that the orbit polytopes of generic points have conjugated affine symmetry groups. We prove that the symmetry group of a generic orbit polytope is again G if G is itself the affine symmetry group of some orbit polytope, or if G is absolutely irreducible. On the other hand, we describe some general cases where the affine symmetry group grows.We apply our theory to representation polytopes (the convex hull of a finite matrix group) and show that their affine symmetries can be computed effectively from a certain character. We use this to construct counterexamples to a conjecture of Baumeister et al. on permutation polytopes (Baumeister et al., 2009 [4, Conjecture 5.4]).

Lie–Poisson theory for direct limit Lie algebras

In the first half of this paper, we develop the fundamentals of Lie–Poisson theory for direct limits G=lim→Gn of complex algebraic groups and their Lie algebras g=lim→gn. We describe the Poisson pro- and ind-variety structures on g⁎=lim←gn⁎ and the coadjoint orbits of G, respectively. While the existence of symplectic foliations remains an open question for most infinite-dimensional Poisson manifolds, we show that for direct limit algebras, the coadjoint orbits give a weak symplectic foliation of the Poisson provariety g⁎.The second half of the paper applies our general results to the concrete setting of G=GL(∞) and g⁎=M(∞), the space of infinite-by-infinite complex matrices with arbitrary entries. We use the Poisson structure of g⁎ to construct an integrable system on M(∞) that generalizes the Gelfand–Zeitlin system on gl(n,C) to the infinite-dimensional setting. We further show that this integrable system integrates to a global action of a direct limit group on M(∞), whose generic orbits are Lagrangian ind-subvarieties of the coadjoint orbits of GL(∞) on M(∞).

The [formula omitted] free rigid body: Integrability and stability analysis of the equilibria

A natural extension of the free rigid body dynamics to the unitary group U(n) is considered. The dynamics is described by the Euler equation on the Lie algebra u(n), which has a bi-Hamiltonian structure, and it can be reduced onto the adjoint orbits, as in the case of the SO(n). The complete integrability and the stability of the isolated equilibria on the generic orbits are considered by using the method of Bolsinov and Oshemkov. In particular, it is shown that all the isolated equilibria on generic orbits are Lyapunov stable.

Is motion under the conservative self-force in black hole spacetimes an integrable Hamiltonian system?

A point-like object moving in a background black hole spacetime experiences a gravitational self-force which can be expressed as a local function of the object's instantaneous position and velocity, to linear order in the mass ratio. We consider the worldline dynamics defined by the conservative part of the local self-force, turning off the dissipative part, and we ask: Is that dynamical system a Hamiltonian system, and if so, is it integrable? In the Schwarzschild spacetime, we show that the system is Hamiltonian and integrable, to linear order in the mass ratio, for generic (but not necessarily all) stable bound orbits. There exist an energy and an angular momentum, being perturbed versions of their counterparts for geodesic motion, which are conserved under the forced motion. We also discuss difficulties associated with establishing analogous results in the Kerr spacetime. This result may be useful for future computational schemes, based on a local Hamiltonian description, for calculating the conservative self-force and its observable effects. It is also relevant to the assumption of the existence of a Hamiltonian for the conservative dynamics for generic orbits in the effective-one-body formalism, to linear order in the mass ratio, but to all orders in the post-Newtonian expansion.

Quadratic-in-spin effects in the orbital dynamics and gravitational-wave energy flux of compact binaries at the 3PN order

We investigate the dynamics of spinning binaries of compact objects at the next-to-leading order in the quadratic-in-spin effects, which corresponds to the third post-Newtonian order (3PN). Using a Dixon-type multipolar formalism for spinning point particles endowed with spin-induced quadrupoles and computing iteratively in harmonic coordinates the relevant pieces of the PN metric within the near zone, we derive the post-Newtonian equations of motion as well as the equations of spin precession. We find full equivalence with available results. We then focus on the far-zone field produced by those systems and obtain the previously unknown 3PN spin contributions to the gravitational-wave energy flux by means of the multipolar post-Minkowskian wave generation formalism. Our results are presented in the center-of-mass frame for generic orbits, before being further specialized to the case of spin-aligned, circular orbits. Based on the energy balance equation, we derive the orbital phase of the binary at the order 3PN including all conservative spin effects and briefly discuss the relevance of the new terms.

A Finite Dimensional Integrable System Arising in the Study of Shock Clustering

In this work, we consider a finite dimensional Hamiltonian system that contains as a special case an exact discretization of the Lax equation for shock clustering. We characterize the generic coadjoint orbits of the underlying Lie group and establish the Liouville integrability of the system on such orbits. We also solve the Hamiltonian equation explicitly via Riemann–Hilbert factorization problems.

Fast spectral source integration in black hole perturbation calculations

This paper presents a new technique for achieving spectral accuracy and fast computational performance in a class of black hole perturbation and gravitational self-force calculations involving extreme mass ratios and generic orbits. Called \emph{spectral source integration} (SSI), this method should see widespread future use in problems that entail (i) point-particle description of the small compact object, (ii) frequency domain decomposition, and (iii) use of the background eccentric geodesic motion. Frequency domain approaches are widely used in both perturbation theory flux-balance calculations and in local gravitational self-force calculations. Recent self-force calculations in Lorenz gauge, using the frequency domain and method of extended homogeneous solutions, have been able to accurately reach eccentricities as high as $e \simeq 0.7$. We show here SSI successfully applied to Lorenz gauge. In a double precision Lorenz gauge code, SSI enhances the accuracy of results and makes a factor of three improvement in the overall speed. The primary initial application of SSI--for us its \emph{raison d'\^{e}tre}--is in an arbitrary precision \emph{Mathematica} code that computes perturbations of eccentric orbits in the Regge-Wheeler gauge to extraordinarily high accuracy (e.g., 200 decimal places). These high accuracy eccentric orbit calculations would not be possible without the exponential convergence of SSI. We believe the method will extend to work for inspirals on Kerr, and will be the subject of a later publication. SSI borrows concepts from discrete-time signal processing and is used to calculate the mode normalization coefficients in perturbation theory via sums over modest numbers of points around an orbit. A variant of the idea is used to obtain spectral accuracy in solution of the geodesic orbital motion.

On dynamics and bifurcations of area-preserving maps with homoclinic tangencies

We study bifurcations of area-preserving maps, both orientable (symplectic) and non-orientable, with quadratic homoclinic tangencies. We consider one and two parameter general unfoldings and establish results related to the appearance of elliptic periodic orbits. In particular, we find conditions for such maps to have infinitely many generic (KAM-stable) elliptic periodic orbits of all successive periods starting at some number.