Gravitational Field of a Spinning Mass as an Example of Algebraically Special Metrics

Quasinormal modes are eigenmodes of dissipative systems. Perturbations of classical gravitational backgrounds involving black holes or branes naturally lead to quasinormal modes. The analysis and classification of the quasinormal spectra require solving non-Hermitian eigenvalue problems for the associated linear differential equations. Within the recently developed gauge-gravity duality, these modes serve as an important tool for determining the near-equilibrium properties of strongly coupled quantum field theories, in particular their transport coefficients, such as viscosity, conductivity and diffusion constants. In astrophysics, the detection of quasinormal modes in gravitational wave experiments would allow precise measurements of the mass and spin of black holes as well as new tests of general relativity. This review is meant as an introduction to the subject, with a focus on the recent developments in the field.

/pdf/quasinormal-modes-of-black-holes-and-black-branes-3f4tq2403g.pdf

Quasinormal modes of black holes and black branes

Perturbations of black holes, initially considered in the context of possible observations of astrophysical effects, have been studied for the past 10 years in string theory, brane-world models, and quantum gravity. Through the famous gauge/gravity duality, proper oscillations of perturbed black holes, called quasinormal modes, allow for the description of the hydrodynamic regime in the dual finite temperature field theory at strong coupling, which can be used to predict the behavior of quark-gluon plasmas in the nonperturbative regime. On the other hand, the brane-world scenarios assume the existence of extra dimensions in nature, so that multidimensional black holes can be formed in a laboratory experiment. All this stimulated active research in the field of perturbations of higher-dimensional black holes and branes during recent years. In this review recent achievements on various aspects of black hole perturbations are discussed such as decoupling of variables in the perturbation equations, quasinormal modes (with special emphasis on various numerical and analytical methods of calculations), late-time tails, gravitational stability, anti--de Sitter/conformal field theory interpretation of quasinormal modes, and holographic superconductors. We also touch on state-of-the-art observational possibilities for detecting quasinormal modes of black holes.

Quasinormal modes of black holes: From astrophysics to string theory

Quasinormal frequencies of electromagnetic and gravitational perturbations in asymptotically anti-de Sitter spacetime can be identified with poles of the corresponding real-time Green's functions in a holographically dual finite temperature field theory. The quasinormal modes are defined for gauge-invariant quantities which obey an incoming-wave boundary condition at the horizon and a Dirichlet condition at the boundary. As an application, we explicitly find poles of retarded correlation functions of R-symmetry currents and the energy-momentum tensor in strongly coupled finite temperature N=4 supersymmetric SU(Nc) Yang-Mills theory in the limit of large Nc.

Quasinormal modes and holography

In 1982, the Belgian Pilots' Guild raised the question of what effect exposure to radar radiation--for example, that encountered in passing a pilot launch's radar--might have on the human body. Recapitulating investigations of this question, this article states that in 25 years of experience with radar, there have been no known incidents of pilots being affected by radar waves. In the future, however, involvement by some pilots with Vessel Traffic Service shore-based radar could affect pilots somewhat differently from limited exposure to pilot launch radar. Pilots who find themselves in new working conditions close to an emitting source should exercise care all times.

About heat waves

We show explicitly, for different types of extremal black holes, that test fields satisfying the null energy condition at the event horizon cannot violate the weak cosmic censorship conjecture. This is done by checking, in each case, that the hypotheses for the general theorem in [7] are satisfied.

Proof of the weak cosmic censorship conjecture for several extremal black holes

We match collapsing inhomogeneous as well as spatially homogeneous but anisotropic spacetimes to vacuum static exteriors with a negative cosmological constant and planar or hyperbolic symmetry. The collapsing interiors include the inhomogeneous solutions of Szekeres and of Barnes, which in turn include the Lemâitre-Tolman and the McVittie solutions. The collapse can result in toroidal or higher genus asymptotically AdS black holes.

/pdf/gravitational-collapse-to-toroidal-and-higher-genus-490ecvzm9w.pdf

Gravitational Collapse to Toroidal and Higher Genus asymptotically AdS Black Holes

We study the Einstein-scalar field system with positive cosmological constant and spherically symmetric characteristic initial data given on a truncated null cone. We prove well-posedness, global existence and exponential decay in (Bondi) time, for small data. From this, it follows that initial data close enough to de Sitter data evolves to a causally geodesically complete spacetime (with boundary), which approaches a region of de Sitter asymptotically at an exponential rate; this is a non-linear stability result for de Sitter within the class under consideration, as well as a realization of the cosmic no-hair conjecture.

The problem of a self-gravitating scalar field with positive cosmological constant

It is commonly believed that Alcubierre's warp drive works by contracting space in front of the warp bubble and expanding space behind it. We show that this expansion/contraction is but a marginal consequence of the choice made by Alcubierre, and explicitly construct a similar spacetime where no contraction/expansion occurs. Global and optical properties of warp drive spacetimes are also discussed.

Warp Drive With Zero Expansion

We apply Christodoulou's framework, developed to study the Einstein-scalar field equations in spherical symmetry, to the linear wave equation in de Sitter spacetime, as a first step towards the Einstein-scalar field equations with positive cosmological constant. We obtain an integro-differential evolution equation which we solve by taking initial data on a null cone. As a corollary we obtain elementary derivations of expected properties of linear waves in de Sitter spacetime: boundedness in terms of (characteristic) initial data, and a Price law establishing uniform exponential decay, in Bondi time, to a constant.

José Natário

Papers

Proof of the weak cosmic censorship conjecture for several extremal black holes

Gravitational Collapse to Toroidal and Higher Genus asymptotically AdS Black Holes

The problem of a self-gravitating scalar field with positive cosmological constant

Warp Drive With Zero Expansion

Spherical linear waves in de Sitter spacetime