Astrophysically relevant bound trajectories around a Kerr black hole
Preprint
Abstract
We derive alternate and new closed-form analytic solutions for the non-equatorial eccentric bound trajectories, $\{ \phi \left( r, \theta \right)$, $\ t \left( r, \theta \right),\ r \left( \theta \right) \}$, around a Kerr black hole by using the transformation $1/r=\mu \left(1+ e \cos \chi \right)$. The application of the solutions is straightforward and numerically fast. We obtain and implement translation relations between energy and angular momentum of the particle, ($E$, $L$), and eccentricity and inverse-latus rectum, ($e$, $\mu$), for a given spin, $a$, and Carter's constant, $Q$, to write the trajectory completely in the ($e$, $\mu$, $a$, $Q$) parameter space. The bound orbit conditions are obtained and implemented to select the allowed combination of parameters ($e$, $\mu$, $a$, $Q$). We also derive specialized formulae for spherical and separatrix orbits. A study of the non-equatorial analog of the previously studied equatorial separatrix orbits is carried out where a homoclinic orbit asymptotes to an energetically bound spherical orbit. Such orbits simultaneously represent an eccentric orbit and an unstable spherical orbit, both of which share the same $E$ and $L$ values. We present exact expressions for $e$ and $\mu$ as functions of the radius of the corresponding unstable spherical orbit, $r_s$, $a$, and $Q$, and their trajectories, for ($Q\neq0$) separatrix orbits; they are shown to reduce to the equatorial case. These formulae have applications to study the gravitational waveforms from EMRIs besides relativistic precession and phase space explorations. We obtain closed-form expressions of the fundamental frequencies of non-equatorial eccentric trajectories that are equivalent to the previously obtained quadrature forms and also numerically match with the equivalent formulae previously derived. We sketch several orbits and discuss their astrophysical applications.
Keywords
All Related Versions
This publication has 42 references indexed in Scilit:
- Extreme mass ratio inspirals: LISA's unique probe of black hole gravityClassical and Quantum Gravity, 2005
- Computing inspirals in Kerr in the adiabatic regime: I. The scalar caseClassical and Quantum Gravity, 2005
- Precise relativistic orbits in Kerr and Kerr–(anti) de Sitter spacetimesClassical and Quantum Gravity, 2004
- An increased estimate of the merger rate of double neutron stars from observations of a highly relativistic systemNature, 2003
- “Golden Oldie”: On the Gravitational Field of a Mass Point According to Einstein's TheoryGeneral Relativity and Gravitation, 2003
- Celestial mechanics in Kerr spacetimeClassical and Quantum Gravity, 2002
- Black Hole Physics: Basic Concepts and New DevelopmentsPhysics Today, 2000
- Correlations in the Quasi-periodic Oscillation Frequencies of Low-Mass X-Ray Binaries and the Relativistic Precession ModelThe Astrophysical Journal, 1999
- Perturbations of a Rotating Black Hole. I. Fundamental Equations for Gravitational, Electromagnetic, and Neutrino-Field PerturbationsThe Astrophysical Journal, 1973
- Rotating Black Holes: Locally Nonrotating Frames, Energy Extraction, and Scalar Synchrotron RadiationThe Astrophysical Journal, 1972