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José Natário

Publications and source records attributed to José Natário.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2026

Wave optical imaging of an oscillating electric dipole orbiting a black hole

We study the electromagnetic radiation and wave-optical imaging of an oscillating electric dipole orbiting a Kerr black hole. We derive the effective 4-current associated with a pointlike oscillating electric dipole in curved spacetime, and use black hole perturbation theory to compute the resulting radiation field at future null infinity, from first principles. We then develop a wave-optical imaging framework for a moving electromagnetic source in curved spacetime. We obtain images of an orbiting electric dipole, displaying relativistic beaming, gravitational lensing, and Einstein rings. We study polarization-dependent scattering by comparing the images produced by spinning dipoles with opposite helicities, finding a displacement that roughly decreases with the inverse of the radiation frequency, as expected for a beyond-geometric-optics effect. Our results provide a first-principles benchmark for beyond-geometric-optics descriptions of electromagnetic radiation in Kerr spacetime.

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arXiv2026

Relativistic Elastic Response to Gravitational Waves: Explicit Solutions for a Rectangular Plate

We study the interaction between gravitational waves and elastic bodies within the framework of relativistic elasticity. Starting from the Lagrangian formulation of relativistic elasticity, we derive the linearized equations governing the response of a homogeneous and isotropic solid to a weak gravitational wave by expanding the action to quadratic order in the elastic field derivatives and to linear order in the metric perturbation. In this way, Dyson's interaction term from the effective potential approach emerges naturally from the relativistic theory. We then apply the formalism to a thin rectangular elastic plate aligned with the direction of propagation and polarization of a plus-polarized gravitational wave. For a material with vanishing Poisson ratio, the equations decouple and admit simple explicit solutions. We obtain closed-form expressions for the induced displacements and for the energy deposited on the plate by both short gravitational wave bursts and continuous harmonic waves. Finally, we compute the gravitational wave emission generated by the oscillating plate itself under continuous harmonic excitation. These results provide a fully relativistic derivation of the elastic response to gravitational waves together with explicit solvable examples relevant to resonant gravitational wave detectors.

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arXiv2026

Resonances in binary extreme mass ratio inspirals

Stellar-mass binaries evolving in the vicinity of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) may be common in the universe, either in active galactic nuclei or in other astrophysical environments. Here, we study in detail the resonant excitation of SMBH modes driven by a nearby stellar-mass binary. The resulting resonant energy fluxes vary with the orbital location and frequency of the binary, exhibiting a rich and complex structure. In particular, we find that the total energy flux radiated to infinity is maximized at a gravitational-wave frequency that is close to, but not exactly equal to, the real part of the corresponding quasinormal-mode frequency. Moreover, as the binary is moved farther away from the SMBH, this offset from the mode frequency becomes increasingly pronounced. In addition, for suitable orientations, the binary can effectively ``feed'' the light ring of the SMBH, selectively exciting particular oscillation modes. For rotating (Kerr) black holes, the mode spectrum is significantly more intricate; however, individual modes are also less strongly damped, leading to an enhanced -- but more difficult to interpret -- resonant response.

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arXiv2025

Electromagnetic radiation reaction and energy extraction from black holes: The tail term cannot be ignored

We study electromagnetic radiation reaction in curved space and the dynamics of radiating charged particles. The equation of motion for such particles is the DeWitt-Brehme equation, and it contains a particularly complicated, non-local, tail term. It has been claimed that the tail term can be neglected in certain magnetized black hole spacetimes, and that radiation reaction may then lead to energy extraction ("orbital widening") in the absence of an ergoregion. We show that such claims are incorrect, at least in the Newtonian limit: the tail term can never be neglected consistently in the relevant scenarios, and when it is included the reported energy extraction no longer occurs. Thus, previous results are called into question by our work.

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arXiv2025

An exact solution describing a scalar counterpart to the Schwarzschild-Melvin Universe

The Schwarzschild-Melvin spacetime is an exact solution of the Einstein electrovacuum equations describing a black hole immersed in a magnetic field which is asymptotically aligned with the z-axis. It plays an important role in our understanding of the interplay between geometry and matter, and is often used as a proxy for astrophysical environments. Here, we construct the scalar counterpart to the Schwarzschild-Melvin spacetime: a non-asymptotically flat black hole geometry with an everywhere regular scalar field whose gradient is asymptotically aligned with the z-axis.

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arXiv2025

On defining astronomically meaningful Reference Frames in General Relativity

In a recent paper we discussed when it is possible to define reference frames nonrotating with respect to distant inertial reference objects (extension of the IAU reference systems to exact general relativity), and how to construct them. We briefly review the construction, illustrating it with further examples, and caution against the recent misuse of zero angular momentum observers (ZAMOs).

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arXiv2025

Elastic rigid rod in an expanding universe

We study the motion of a rigid elastic rod, initially set in its relaxed state along a spacelike geodesic, in an expanding Friedmann-Lemaître-Robertson-Walker universe. This leads to an initial boundary value problem (IBVP) for a nonlinear wave equation whose nonlinearity depends on a parameter $κ\geq 0$, related to the ratio between the rod's length and the cosmological scale. We show that if $κ$ is small enough then the solution to the IBVP is global in time and bounded, meaning that the rod's length oscillates around its initial value. For greater values of $κ$, however, the solution to the IBVP blows up in finite coordinate time, indicating that the rod is infinitely stretched by the cosmological expansion. This supports the widely held belief that sufficiently small bound systems do not follow the Hubble flow, whereas larger systems may do so. Similar conclusions apply to the tethered galaxy version of this problem, where the rod is used to connect two point masses (which results in nonlinear boundary conditions for the IBVP).

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arXiv2025

Gravitational waves from b-EMRIs: Doppler shift and beaming, resonant excitation, helicity oscillations and self-lensing

We study gravitational waves from a stellar-mass binary orbiting a spinning supermassive black hole, a system referred to as a binary extreme mass ratio inspiral (b-EMRI). We use Dixon's formalism to describe the stellar-mass binary as a particle with internal structure, and keep terms up to quadrupole order to capture the generation of gravitational waves by the inner motion of the stellar-mass binary. The problem of emission and propagation of waves is treated from first principles using black hole perturbation theory. In the gravitational waveform at future null infinity, we identify for the first time Doppler shifts and beaming due to the motion of the center of mass, as well as helicity breaking gravitational lensing, and resonances with ringdown modes of the supermassive black hole. We establish that previously proposed phenomenological models inadequately capture these effects.

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arXiv2025

Elastic rods and elastic spinning rings as gravitational wave detectors

Linearised relativistic elasticity equations of motion are considered for a rod and a spinning ring encountering a gravitational wave. In the case of the rod, the equations reduce to a wave equation with appropriate boundary conditions. Using Fourier transforms, the resonant frequencies are found and an explicit distributional solution is given, both for a plus- and a cross-polarised gravitational wave. In the case of the spinning ring, the equations are coupled wave equations with periodic boundary conditions. Using a Fourier series expansion, the system of wave equations is recast as a family of ordinary differential equations for the Fourier coefficients, which are then solved via Fourier transforms. The resonant frequencies are found, including simple approximate expressions for slowly rotating rings, and an explicit distributional solution is obtained in the case of the non-spinning ring. Interestingly, it is possible to tune the resonant frequencies by adjusting the angular velocity of the spinning ring.

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arXiv2025

Relativistic elastic membranes: rotating disks and Dyson spheres

We derive the equations of motion for relativistic elastic membranes, that is, two-dimensional elastic bodies whose internal energy depends only on their stretching, starting from a variational principle. We show how to obtain conserved quantities for the membrane's motion in the presence of spacetime symmetries, determine the membrane's longitudinal and transverse speeds of sound in isotropic states, and compute the coefficients of linear elasticity with respect to the relaxed configuration. We then use this formalism to discuss two physically interesting systems: a rigidly rotating elastic disk, widely discussed in the context of Ehrenfest's paradox, and a Dyson sphere, that is, a spherical membrane in equilibrium in Schwarzschild's spacetime, with the isotropic tangential pressure balancing the gravitational attraction. Surprisingly, although spherically symmetric perturbations of this system are linearly stable, the axi-symmetric dipolar mode is already unstable. This may be taken as a cautionary tale against misconstruing radial stability as true stability.

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arXiv2024

Floating orbits and energy extraction from magnetized Kerr black holes

We study electromagnetic radiation reaction on a charged particle around a weakly magnetized Kerr black hole. We solve numerically the Teukolsky equation to find energy fluxes in electromagnetic radiation at the horizon and at spatial infinity. We also employ analytical methods in the low-frequency limit, finding excellent agreement with the numerical results. For a wide range of parameters, energy fluxes on the horizon are negative for all orbital radii: the modes are amplified through superradiance. More interestingly, the flux on the horizon is larger (in absolute value) than the flux at infinity for orbits with orbital radius $r_0 \gtrsim 9M$ -- floating orbits are a generic outcome of having magnetic fields around black holes. Particles on these orbits extract energy from the BH through their radiation field; the net effect is an increase in the particles' kinetic energy, so that they outspiral to infinity. Although in realistic accretion disks viscous forces are expected to dominate, floating orbits remain an interesting feature of the existence of ergoregions in black hole spacetimes.

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arXiv2024

Free-falling motion of an elastic rigid rod towards a Schwarzschild black hole

We study the motion of an elastic rigid rod which is radially free-falling towards a Schwarzschild black hole. This is accomplished by reducing the corresponding free-boundary PDE problem to a sequence of ODEs, which we integrate numerically. Starting with a rod at rest, we show that it is possible to choose its initial compression profile so that its midpoint falls substantially faster, or slower, than a free-falling particle with the same initial conditions. This seems to be a purely kinematic effect, since on average there is no net transfer of elastic to mechanical energy.

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arXiv2024

Relativistic effects cannot explain galactic dynamics

It has been suggested in recent literature that nonlinear and/or gravitomagnetic general relativistic effects can play a leading role in galactic dynamics, partially or totally replacing dark matter. Using the 1+3 "quasi-Maxwell" formalism, we show, on general grounds, such hypothesis to be impossible.

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arXiv2024

Radiation reaction in weakly magnetized black holes: can the tail term be ignored in the strong field regime?

We study radiation from charged particles in circular motion around a Schwarzschild black hole immersed in an asymptotically uniform magnetic field. In curved space, the radiation reaction force is described by the DeWitt-Brehme equation, which includes a complicated, non-local tail term. We show that, contrary to some claims in the literature, this term cannot, in general, be neglected. We account for self-force effects directly by calculating the electromagnetic energy flux at infinity and on the horizon. The radiative field is obtained using black hole perturbation theory. We solve the relevant equations analytically, in the low-frequency and slow-motion approximation, as well as numerically in the general case. Our results show that great care must be taken when neglecting the tail term, which is often fundamental to capture the dynamics of the particle: in fact, it only seems to be negligible when the magnetic force greatly dominates the gravitational force, so that the motion is well described by the Abraham--Lorentz--Dirac equation. We also report a curious "horizon dominance effect" that occurs for a radiating particle in a circular orbit around a black hole (emitting either scalar, electromagnetic or gravitational waves): for fixed orbital radius, the fraction of energy that is absorbed by the black hole can be made arbitrarily large by decreasing the particle velocity.

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arXiv2024

Spherically symmetric elastic bodies in general relativity

The purpose of this review it to present a renewed perspective of the problem of self-gravitating elastic bodies under spherical symmetry. It is also a companion to the papers [Phys. Rev. D105, 044025 (2022)], [Phys. Rev. D106, L041502 (2022)], and [arXiv:2306.16584 [gr-qc]], where we introduced a new definition of spherically symmetric elastic bodies in general relativity, and applied it to investigate the existence and physical viability, including radial stability, of static self-gravitating elastic balls. We focus on elastic materials that generalize fluids with polytropic, linear, and affine equations of state, and discuss the symmetries of the energy density function, including homogeneity and the resulting scale invariance of the TOV equations. By introducing invariant characterizations of physical admissible initial data, we numerically construct mass-radius-compactness diagrams, and conjecture about the maximum compactness of stable physically admissible elastic balls.

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arXiv2024

Scale invariant elastic stars in General Relativity

We present a model of relativistic elastic stars featuring scale invariance. This implies a linear mass-radius relation and the absence of a maximum mass. The most compact spherically symmetric configuration that is radially stable and satisfies all energy and causality conditions has a slightly smaller radius than the Schwarzschild light ring radius. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first material compact object with such remarkable properties in General Relativity, which makes it a unique candidate for a black-hole mimicker.

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arXiv2024

Comment on "The Tully-Fisher law and dark matter effects derived via modified symmetries" by Arraut Ivan

It has been claimed in I. Arraut, 2023 EPL 144 29003 [arXiv:2311.05652] that General Relativity can generate effects equivalent to dark matter, based on a "new modified symmetry that emerges at galactic scale". We show that (i) the spacetime considered is unphysical, violating energy conditions everywhere; (ii) actually no new symmetry emerges, which results from incorrect definitions of angular momentum, velocity, and arclength in the proposed geometry; (iii) no Tully-Fisher law, or flat rotation curves are obtained either, they simply result from a series of errors in the equations.

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