arXiv · 2607.08570
Horizon-redshift transfer in black-hole direct-wave damping
Abstract
Direct waves from black-hole mergers may probe horizon dynamics, but their observed envelopes need not decay at the Kerr surface-gravity rate. We compute the complex-frequency spin-$-2$, $\ell=m=2$ Teukolsky response and combine it with a finite-duration near-horizon source whose outgoing amplitude is suppressed by gravitational redshift. The screened Kerr response to this finite-duration source produces an observable envelope damping $\geff<\kap$. For GW250114, this corresponds to $\geff\simeq0.4~{\rm ms}^{-1}$, consistent with a joint H1--L1 analysis of QNM-subtracted residuals. As a consistency check, the GW231226 remnant parameters give $\geff\simeq0.31~{\rm ms}^{-1}$, compatible with the event's residual profile. These results identify direct-wave envelope damping as an observable of horizon-redshift transfer rather than a direct measurement of surface gravity.
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Wen-Biao Han, Ye Jiang. 2026-07-09. Horizon-redshift transfer in black-hole direct-wave damping. https://arxiv.org/abs/2607.08570
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