arXiv · 1512.05358
Explosion and final state of an unstable Reissner-Nordstrom black hole
Abstract
A Reissner-Nordström black hole (BH) is superradiantly unstable against spherical perturbations of a charged scalar field, enclosed in a cavity, with frequency lower than a critical value. We use numerical relativity techniques to follow the development of this unstable system -- dubbed a charged BH bomb -- into the non-linear regime, solving the full Einstein--Maxwell--Klein-Gordon equations, in spherical symmetry. We show that: $i)$ the process stops before all the charge is extracted from the BH; $ii)$ the system settles down into a hairy BH: a charged horizon in equilibrium with a scalar field condensate, whose phase is oscillating at the (final) critical frequency. For low scalar field charge, $q$, the final state is approached smoothly and monotonically. For large $q$, however, the energy extraction overshoots and an explosive phenomenon, akin to a $bosenova$, pushes some energy back into the BH. The charge extraction, by contrast, does not reverse.
Explore related subjects
Keep this discovery
Explore connections, maps & timelines
Nicolas Sanchis-Gual, Juan Carlos Degollado, Pedro J. Montero, José A. Font, Carlos Herdeiro. 2016-04-19. Explosion and final state of an unstable Reissner-Nordstrom black hole. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.116.141101
Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.