arXiv subjects

Juan Carlos Degollado

Publications and source records attributed to Juan Carlos Degollado.

54 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2016

Explosion and final state of an unstable Reissner-Nordstrom black hole

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.

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arXiv2015

Testing General Relativity with Present and Future Astrophysical Observations

One century after its formulation, Einstein's general relativity has made remarkable predictions and turned out to be compatible with all experimental tests. Most of these tests probe the theory in the weak-field regime, and there are theoretical and experimental reasons to believe that general relativity should be modified when gravitational fields are strong and spacetime curvature is large. The best astrophysical laboratories to probe strong-field gravity are black holes and neutron stars, whether isolated or in binary systems. We review the motivations to consider extensions of general relativity. We present a (necessarily incomplete) catalog of modified theories of gravity for which strong-field predictions have been computed and contrasted to Einstein's theory, and we summarize our current understanding of the structure and dynamics of compact objects in these theories. We discuss current bounds on modified gravity from binary pulsar and cosmological observations, and we highlight the potential of future gravitational wave measurements to inform us on the behavior of gravity in the strong-field regime.

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arXiv2015

Quasistationary solutions of self-gravitating scalar fields around collapsing stars

Recent work has shown that scalar fields around black holes can form long-lived, quasistationary configurations surviving for cosmological timescales. With this requirement, scalar fields cannot be discarded as viable candidates for dark matter halo models in galaxies around central supermassive black holes (SMBH). One hypothesis for the formation of most SMBHs at high redshift is the gravitational collapse of supermassive stars (SMS) with masses of $\sim10^5 \rm {M_{\odot}}$. Therefore, a constraint for the existence of quasi-bound states of scalar fields is their survival to such dynamic events. To answer this question we present in this paper the results of a series of numerical relativity simulations of gravitationally collapsing, spherically symmetric stars surrounded by self-gravitating scalar fields. We use an ideal fluid equation of state with adiabatic index $Γ=4/3$ which is adequate to simulate radiation-dominated isentropic SMSs. Our results confirm the existence of oscillating, long-lived, self-gravitating scalar field configurations around non-rotating black holes after the collapse of the stars.

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arXiv2015

Quasi-stationary solutions of self-gravitating scalar fields around black holes

Recent perturbative studies have shown the existence of long-lived, quasi-stationary configurations of scalar fields around black holes. In particular, such configurations have been found to survive for cosmological timescales, which is a requirement for viable dark matter halo models in galaxies based on such type of structures. In this paper we perform a series of numerical relativity simulations of dynamical non-rotating black holes surrounded by self-gravitating scalar fields. We solve numerically the coupled system of equations formed by the Einstein and the Klein-Gordon equations under the assumption of spherical symmetry using spherical coordinates. Our results confirm the existence of oscillating, long-lived, self-gravitating scalar fields configurations around non-rotating black holes in highly dynamical spacetimes with a rich scalar field environment. Our numerical simulations are long-term stable and allow for the extraction of the resonant frequencies to make a direct comparison with results obtained in the linearized regime. A byproduct of our simulations is the existence of a degeneracy in plausible long-lived solutions of Einstein equations that would induce the same motion of test particles, either with or without the existence of quasi-bound states.

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arXiv2014

Electromagnetic partner of the gravitational signal during accretion onto black holes

We investigate the generation of electromagnetic and gravitational radiation in the vicinity of a perturbed Schwarzschild black hole. The gravitational perturbations and the electromagnetic field are studied by solving the Teukolsky master equation with sources, which we take to be locally charged, radially infalling, matter. Our results show that, in addition to the gravitational wave generated as the matter falls into the black hole, there is also a burst of electromagnetic radiation. This electromagnetic field has a characteristic set of quasinormal frequencies, and the gravitational radiation has the quasinormal frequencies of a Schwarzschild black hole. This scenario allows us to compare the gravitational and electromagnetic signals that are generated by a common source.

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arXiv2014

Wiggly tails: a gravitational wave signature of massive fields around black holes

Massive fields can exist in long-lived configurations around black holes. We examine how the gravitational wave signal of a perturbed black hole is affected by such `dirtiness' within linear theory. As a concrete example, we consider the gravitational radiation emitted by the infall of a massive scalar field into a Schwarzschild black hole. Whereas part of the scalar field is absorbed/scattered by the black hole and triggers gravitational wave emission, another part lingers in long-lived quasi-bound states. Solving numerically the Teukolsky master equation for gravitational perturbations coupled to the massive Klein-Gordon equation, we find a characteristic gravitational wave signal, composed by a quasi-normal ringing followed by a late time tail. In contrast to `clean' black holes, however, the late time tail contains small amplitude wiggles with the frequency of the dominating quasi-bound state. Additionally, an observer dependent beating pattern may also be seen. These features were already observed in fully non-linear studies; our analysis shows they are present at linear level, and, since it reduces to a 1+1 dimensional numerical problem, allows for cleaner numerical data. Moreover, we discuss the power law of the tail and that it only becomes universal sufficiently far away from the `dirty' black hole. The wiggly tails, by constrast, are a generic feature that may be used as a smoking gun for the presence of massive fields around black holes, either as a linear cloud or as fully non-linear hair.

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arXiv2014

Schwarzschild scalar wigs: spectral analysis and late time behavior

Using the Green's function representation technique, the late time behavior of localized scalar field distributions on Schwarzschild spacetimes is studied. Assuming arbitrary initial data we perform a spectral analysis, computing the amplitude of each excited quasi-bound mode without the necessity of performing dynamical evolutions. The resulting superposition of modes is compared with a traditional numerical evolution with excellent agreement; therefore, we have an efficient way to determine final black hole wigs. The astrophysical relevance of the quasi-bound modes is discussed in the context of scalar field dark matter models and the axiverse.

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arXiv2013

Time evolution of superradiant instabilities for charged black holes in a cavity

Frequency domain studies have recently demonstrated that charged scalar fields exhibit fast growing superradiant instabilities when interacting with charged black holes in a cavity. Here, we present a time domain analysis of the long time evolution of test charged scalar field configurations on the Reissner-Nordström background, with or without a mirror-like boundary condition. Initial data is taken to be either a Gaussian wave packet or a regularised (near the horizon) quasi-bound state. Then, Fourier transforming the data obtained in the evolution confirms the results obtained in the frequency domain analysis, in particular for the fast growing modes. We show that spherically symmetric (l=0) modes have even faster growth rates than the l=1 modes for `small' field charge. Thus, our study confirms that this setup is particularly promising for considering the non-linear development of the superradiant instability, since the fast growth makes the signal overcome the numerical error that dominates for small growth rates, and the analysis may be completely done in spherical symmetry.

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arXiv2013

Rapid growth of superradiant instabilities for charged black holes in a cavity

Confined scalar fields, either by a mass term or by a mirror-like boundary condition, have unstable modes in the background of a Kerr black hole. Assuming a time dependence as $e^{-iωt}$, the growth time-scale of these unstable modes is set by the inverse of the (positive) imaginary part of the frequency, Im$(ω)$, which reaches a maximum value of the order of Im$(ω)M\sim 10^{-5}$, attained for a mirror-like boundary condition, where $M$ is the black hole mass. In this paper we study the minimally coupled Klein-Gordon equation for a charged scalar field in the background of a Reissner-Nordström black hole and show that the unstable modes, due to a mirror-like boundary condition, can grow several orders of magnitude faster than in the rotating case: we have obtained modes with up to Im$(ω)M\sim 0.07$. We provide an understanding, based on an analytic approximation, to why the instability in the charged case has a smaller timescale than in the rotating case. This faster growth, together with the spherical symmetry, makes the charged case a promising model for studies of the fully non-linear development of superradiant instabilities.

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arXiv2013

Stationary scalar configurations around extremal charged black holes

We consider the minimally coupled Klein-Gordon equation for a charged, massive scalar field in the non-extremal Reissner-Nordström background. Performing a frequency domain analysis, using a continued fraction method, we compute the frequencies ωfor quasi-bound states. We observe that, as the extremal limit for both the background and the field is approached, the real part of the quasi-bound states frequencies $\mathcal{R}(ω)$ tends to the mass of the field and the imaginary part $\mathcal{I}(ω)$ tends to zero, for any angular momentum quantum number $\ell$. The limiting frequencies in this double extremal limit are shown to correspond to a distribution of extremal scalar particles, at stationary positions, in no-force equilibrium configurations with the background. Thus, generically, these stationary scalar configurations are regular at the event horizon. If, on the other hand, the distribution contains scalar particles at the horizon, the configuration becomes irregular therein, in agreement with no hair theorems for the corresponding Einstein-Maxwell-scalar field system.

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arXiv2012

Induced scalarization in boson stars and scalar gravitational radiation

The dynamical evolution of boson stars in scalar-tensor theories of gravity is considered in the physical (Jordan) frame. We focus on the study of spontaneous and induced scalarization, for which we take as initial data configurations on the well-known S-branch of a single boson star in general relativity. We show that during the scalarization process a strong emission of scalar radiation occurs. The new stable configurations (S-branch) of a single boson star within a particular scalar-tensor theory are also presented.

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arXiv2012

Stability study of a model for the Klein-Gordon equation in Kerr spacetime

The current early stage in the investigation of the stability of the Kerr metric is characterized by the study of appropriate model problems. Particularly interesting is the problem of the stability of the solutions of the Klein-Gordon equation, describing the propagation of a scalar field of mass $μ$ in the background of a rotating black hole. Rigorous results proof the stability of the reduced, by separation in the azimuth angle in Boyer-Lindquist coordinates, field for sufficiently large masses. Some, but not all, numerical investigations find instability of the reduced field for rotational parameters $a$ extremely close to 1. Among others, the paper derives a model problem for the equation which supports the instability of the field down to $a/M \approx 0.97$.

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arXiv2012

Schwarzschild black holes can wear scalar wigs

We study the evolution of a massive scalar field surrounding a Schwarzschild black hole and find configurations that can survive for arbitrarily long times, provided the black hole or the scalar field mass is small enough. In particular, both ultra-light scalar field dark matter around supermassive black holes and axion-like scalar fields around primordial black holes can survive for cosmological times. Moreover, these results are quite generic, in the sense that fairly arbitrary initial data evolves, at late times, as a combination of those long-lived configurations.

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arXiv2011

Gravitational waves from scalar field accretion

Our aim in this work is to outline some physical consequences of the interaction between black holes and scalar field halos in terms of gravitational waves. In doing so, the black hole is taken as a static and spherically symmetric gravitational source, {\it i. e.} the Schwarzschild black hole, and we work within the test field approximation, considering that the scalar field lives in the curved space-time outside the black hole. We focused on the emission of gravitational waves when the black hole is perturbed by the surrounding scalar field matter. The symmetries of the spacetime and the simplicity of the matter source allow, by means of a spherical harmonic decomposition, to study the problem by means of a one dimensional description. Some properties of such gravitational waves are discussed as a function of the parameters of the infalling scalar field, and allow us to make the conjecture that the gravitational waves carry information on the type of matter that generated them.

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arXiv2011

Are black holes a serious threat to scalar field dark matter models?

Classical scalar fields have been proposed as possible candidates for the dark matter component of the universe. Given the fact that super-massive black holes seem to exist at the center of most galaxies, in order to be a viable candidate for the dark matter halo a scalar field configuration should be stable in the presence of a central black hole, or at least be able to survive for cosmological time-scales. In the present work we consider a scalar field as a test field on a Schwarzschild background, and study under which conditions one can obtain long-lived configurations. We present a detailed study of the Klein-Gordon equation in the Schwarzschild spacetime, both from an analytical and numerical point of view, and show that indeed there exist quasi-stationary solutions that can remain surrounding a black hole for large time-scales.

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arXiv2010

One dimensional description of the gravitational perturbation in a Kerr background

The perturbation equation in a Kerr background is written as a coupled system of one dimensional equations for the different modes in the time domain. Numerical simulations show that the dominant mode in the gravitational response is the one corresponding to the mode of the initial perturbation, allowing us to conjecture that the coupling among the modes has a weak influence in our system of equations. We conclude that by neglecting the coupling terms it can be obtained a one dimensional harmonic equation which indeed describes with good accuracy the gravitational response from the Kerr black hole with low spin, while only few couplings are necessary to describe a high spin one. This result may help to understand the structure of test fields in a Kerr background and even to generate accurate waveforms for various cases in an efficient manner.

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arXiv2009

The Einstein-Maxwell system in 3+1 form and initial data for multiple charged black holes

We consider the Einstein-Maxwell system as a Cauchy initial value problem taking the electric and magnetic fields as independent variables. Maxwell's equations in curved spacetimes are derived in detail using a 3+1 formalism and their hyperbolic properties are analyzed, showing that the resulting system is symmetric hyperbolic. We also focus on the problem of finding initial data for multiple charged black holes assuming time-symmetric initial data and using a puncture-like method to solve the Hamiltonian and the Gauss constraints. We study the behavior of the resulting initial data families, and show that previous results in this direction can be obtained as particular cases of our approach.

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arXiv2009

Signatures of the sources in the gravitational waves of a perturbed Schwarzschild black hole

The explicit form of perturbation equation for the $Ψ_4$ Weyl scalar, containing the matter source terms, is derived for general type D spacetimes. It is described in detail the particular case of the Schwarzschild spacetime using in-going penetrating coordinates. As a practical application, we focused on the emission of gravitational waves when a black hole is perturbed by a surrounding dust-like fluid matter. The symmetries of the spacetime and the simplicity of the matter source allow, by means of a spherical harmonic decomposition, to study the problem by means of a one dimensional numerical code.

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