arXiv subjects

Minyong Guo

Publications and source records attributed to Minyong Guo.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

CoportSL: A Contribution-constrained Hybrid Slow-light Framework for Time-dependent Polarized GRMHD Imaging

Fast-light approximations neglect fluid evolution along rays, whereas slow-light modeling is indispensable for recovering the true magnetohydrodynamic state. However, full slow-light radiative transfer for extended general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (GRMHD) sources requires simultaneous access to many fluid snapshots and is memory-intensive. We introduce CoportSL, the first contribution-constrained hybrid slow-light framework for time-dependent full-Stokes imaging. It uses emission, absorption, and Faraday contributions to identify where fluid evolution must be retained, applies fast light elsewhere, and loads only snapshots spanning the relevant delays. Tests with M87*-like magnetically arrested disk GRMHD data show that the contribution-based region and delay-based snapshot restrictions each keep normalized full-image Stokes differences below $4\times10^{-3}$ relative to the corresponding complete calculation. At this accuracy, CoportSL requires 75.3% and 44.7% fewer snapshot layers for near-horizon and jet images, respectively; its per-frame slow-light transfer time remains comparable to fast light. For the two configurations, source-code estimates place the capacities of the principal data structures at 255-657 GiB for a fixed public ipole version and 20.2-37.3GiB for CoportSL, bringing both configurations within workstation-scale memory. Fast--slow comparisons further show close agreement in near-horizon variability, whereas jet variability follows similar overall trends but differs in local peaks and amplitudes; in both cases, fast light misses substantial full-Stokes spatial structure. As the next-generation Event Horizon Telescope (ngEHT) advances toward dynamical imaging and spatially resolved polarimetry, CoportSL provides a computationally practical way to model full-Stokes finite-light-travel-time signatures in extended black hole systems.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2026

Completing the Penrose Process without a Horizon

In its standard black-hole realization, the Penrose process uses an event horizon to remove a negative-energy fragment. We show that, at the kinematic level, horizon absorption can instead be replaced by confinement within a compact ergoregion, without imposing an absorbing or reflecting inner boundary. For a broad class of regular, stationary, axisymmetric, asymptotically flat horizonless spacetimes, we prove that every smooth connected component of the spatial ergosurface is a compact torus, independently of the field equations and matter content. Future-directed geodesics with negative Killing energy encounter a forbidden neighborhood of each such boundary component and are therefore confined. We derive an exterior no-barrier condition and identify an open set of on-shell, future-directed, four-momentum-conserving splittings producing both a confined negative-energy fragment and an amplified partner. Under equatorial reflection symmetry, once the latter enters the exterior channel on an outward branch, it necessarily reaches infinity. A rotating boson star explicitly realizes the complete process without a horizon.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2026

Novel extended inner shadow in images of Johannsen-Psaltis black holes with thin accretion disks

The Johannsen-Psaltis (JP) metric is constructed by introducing deviation parameters into the Kerr metric. The presence of these deviation parameters provides additional degrees of freedom for testing the extent to which astrophysical black holes are consistent with the Kerr paradigm and for examining the validity of the no-hair theorem. Since black hole imaging provides one of the most direct means of probing the properties of astrophysical black holes, a detailed investigation of the imaging characteristics of JP black holes constitutes a natural first step toward employing the JP metric to explore potential deviations from the Kerr geometry in astrophysical black hole systems. Accordingly, numerical backward ray-tracing simulations are employed to conduct a comprehensive investigation of the image structures, intensity distributions, and redshift-blueshift signatures of JP black holes with both closed and non-closed event horizons. The dependence of these imaging characteristics on the deviation parameter is also investigated systematically. Furthermore, the emergence of an extended inner shadow, distinct from the original inner shadow of the black hole, in images of JP black holes with non-closed event horizons motivated a detailed investigation of its physical formation mechanism using both numerical backward ray-tracing simulations and an approximate analytical framework.

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arXiv2026

Axial Obstructions to Rotating Bumblebee Vacuum Solutions

We establish two obstructions to globally regular rotating constant-norm vector vacua. At an axial fixed point of a regular nondegenerate bifurcate Killing horizon, horizon-boost and axial invariance force every smooth symmetry-inheriting one-form to vanish, contradicting a strictly nonzero constant norm. Independently, varying axial conicity produces an orthonormal curvature component diverging as the inverse proper distance and precludes a $C^2$ extension. Applied to a three-parameter Kerr--disformal family in Einstein--bumblebee gravity, these results reveal a nonsmooth bumblebee one-form, while direct calculation shows that the Kretschmann scalar diverges as the inverse square of the transverse proper distance to either open exterior axis. Even the distinguished nonextremal branch selected by nonpolar outer-horizon regularity is therefore an exact nonpolar rotating exterior solution, not a globally regular isolated black hole. Together, these field- and metric-level obstructions provide a two-pronged no-go framework for globally regular rotating constant-norm vector vacua.

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arXiv2026

Broadened Lensing Rings of Compact Boson Stars: Enhanced Imprint of Accretion Flow in Images and Visibilities

In this work, we systematically study the gravitational lensing properties and observational signatures of compact boson stars. Unlike black holes, the photon effective potential of a compact boson star develops a nearly flat region, whose width increases with the compactness of the star. This flat structure significantly broadens the range of impact parameters that can produce large-angle deflections, leading to noticeably wider lensing rings of all orders. Photons constituting these rings traverse more complex paths, rendering the resulting images more sensitive to the spatial distribution of the accretion flow. Ray tracing results show that, compared to black hole models, the image topology and visibility amplitudes of compact boson stars exhibit a stronger dependence on the accretion flow structure. These results highlight qualitative differences in the observational properties of compact boson stars and black holes.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2026

Distorting Kerr Images with Parity-Odd Scalar Hair

We investigate thin-disk imaging of Kerr black holes with synchronized scalar hair, focusing on backreacted parity-odd excited states of a complex scalar field minimally coupled to Einstein gravity. The spacetime displays a core-double-torus lensing structure, with a central black hole surrounded by two scalar clouds. We study the dependence of the images on hair strength and viewing angle, identifying a weak-hair regime close to Kerr. With increasing hair, the photon ring and shadow region shrink and become more distorted. In the strong-hair regime, gravitational lensing produces new features, including multiple disconnected shadow components, crescent-shaped structures, and signatures of chaotic lensing. For nearly edge-on viewing angles, repeated equatorial crossings generate nested ring-like patterns. These results highlight possible geometric signatures of black holes with excited scalar hair.

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arXiv2026

Black Hole Ringdown Seen in Photon Polarization Swings

Light propagating through a perturbed spacetime could imprint the underlying gravitational waveform directly onto electromagnetic observables. In this Letter, we develop a covariant perturbative framework for polarized photon propagation in generic curved spacetimes, and derive a compact expression for the observable polarization-angle (PA) swing during Kerr ringdown, explicitly demonstrating its time-domain locking to the quasi-normal modes. We confirm this behavior using dynamical ray-tracing calculations for a broad class of photon trajectories. Photons grazing the strong-field region exhibit an achromatic, damped PA oscillation that tracks the ringdown, with a phase set by the mode's angular structure. The swing amplitude can reach $\sim 10^{\circ}$ and leaves distinctive signatures in spatially resolved autocorrelations. These results open a new polarimetric window onto black hole mergers and ringdown.

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arXiv2026

Bayesian Analysis of Massive Boson Star Models for Sagittarius A* Using Near-Infrared Astrometry Data

Assuming that the compact source at the Galactic center, Sagittarius A*, is a massive boson star, we fit the near-infrared flare astrometry data. We consider 12 discrete boson star configurations and model the flare as a hotspot on a circular equatorial orbit. The analysis is performed in a Bayesian framework using nested sampling, yielding the marginal posterior distributions of all parameters as well as the Bayesian evidence for each model. For comparison, the same procedure is applied to a Schwarzschild black hole. The resulting Bayesian evidence values differ only marginally between the boson star and black hole cases, and the well-determined mass of Sgr~A* (${\sim}4.296\times 10^6\,M_\odot$) falls within the 68\% highest density interval in every configuration. We conclude that, under current near-infrared astrometric constraints and within the considered parameter ranges, a massive boson star and a Schwarzschild black hole remain statistically indistinguishable as the compact object at the Galactic center.

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arXiv2026

Testing solitonic boson star interpretations of Sagittarius A* with near-infrared flare astrometry

We use GRAVITY near-infrared (NIR) flare astrometry to test whether Sagittarius A* could be a solitonic boson star. We consider five spherically symmetric solitonic boson-star models with different effective radii, together with the Schwarzschild black hole. Treating the flares as hot spots on circular equatorial orbits, we analyze their centroid motions and images in these spacetimes and use them for parameter fitting. We perform the fitting using both $\chi^2$ analysis and Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods, which yield consistent results: the inferred masses of boson-star models are systematically larger than the established value of $4.3\times10^6M_\odot$. Notably, more diffusive boson stars exhibit imaging properties closer to those of a black hole, leading to mass estimates that are correspondingly closer to the established value. Overall, our results place stringent constraints on solitonic boson star interpretations of Sagittarius A*, although do not completely rule them out.

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arXiv2025

Geometric Approach to Light Rings in Axially Symmetric Spacetimes

Circular photon orbits have become an attractive topic in recent years. They play extremely important roles in black hole shadows, gravitational lensings, quasi-normal modes, and spacetime topological properties. In our recent work, \href{https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.106.L021501}{Phys. Rev. D \textbf{106}, L021501 (2022)}, a geometric approach to circular photon orbits was proposed for spherically symmetric spacetimes. In the present study, we extend this geometric approach from spherically symmetric spacetimes to axially symmetric spacetimes. In this geometric approach, light rings in the equatorial plane are determined by the intrinsic curvatures in the optical geometry of Lorentz spacetime, which gives rise to a Randers-Finsler geometry in axially symmetric cases. Specifically, light rings can be precisely determined by the vanishing of geodesic curvature, and the stability of light rings is classified using the intrinsic flag curvature in Randers-Finsler optical geometry. This geometric approach presented in this work is generally applicable to any stationary and axially symmetric spacetime, without imposing any restriction on the spacetime metric forms. Furthermore, we provide a rigorous demonstration to show that our geometric approach yields results that are completely equivalent to those derived from the conventional approach (based on the effective potential of photons).

gr-qc↗

arXiv2025

Non-thermal Synchrotron Emission and Polarization Signatures during Black Hole Flux Eruptions

In this work, we investigate synchrotron emission and the observational signatures of anisotropic non-thermal electrons during magnetic-flux eruptions in a magnetically arrested disk, using 3D GRMHD simulations. Non-thermal electrons are assumed to be accelerated from the thermal background through magnetic reconnection, with pitch-angle distributions modeled as beamed or loss-cone types, alongside an isotropic case for comparison. The results show that non-thermal emission can produce pronounced flux outbursts and localized brightening during eruptions, while the associated increase in optical depth can suppress the linear polarization fraction. Introducing pitch-angle anisotropy further reshapes the angular distribution of the intrinsic emissivity and modulates its contribution to various observable signatures. Strong field-aligned beaming in the electron distribution suppresses non-thermal emission for near-axis observers, effectively driving the image morphology toward a purely thermal limit. In contrast, moderately anisotropic models remain effective at imprinting non-thermal electron signatures on both the total intensity and polarization structure. We further quantify how eruption-driven increases in absorption depth and enhanced Faraday effects reduce the linear polarization fraction and modify the azimuthal coherence of the polarization field. Overall, our results demonstrate that incorporating anisotropic non-thermal electrons is essential for a physically self-consistent interpretation of time-variable EHT polarimetric observations.

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arXiv2025

Probing the Scalar Hair of Rotating Horndeski Black Holes through Thick Disk Images

Horizon-scale images of black holes provide a potential probe of fundamental physics, including tests of gravity and black hole hair. To assess the impact of scalar hair on accretion-flow imaging self-consistently, we construct an analytical model of a geometrically thick, magnetized disk around a rotating hairy black hole in Horndeski theory and analyze its 230 GHz image morphology. We find that scalar hair modestly alters the inflow and magnetic-field structure but strengthens gravitational redshift, markedly reducing the total flux and lensed ring brightness through relativistic transfer and spectral-shift effects. Moreover, we highlight a previously unexplored channel: the maximum interferometric diameter of the first photon ring responds strongly to the hair parameter but shows little dependence on accretion-flow details, making it a promising observable for constraining black-hole hair with future space-based interferometry.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2025

Probing the Penrose Process: Images of Split Hotspots and Their Observational Signatures

While theoretically established for decades, the Penrose process - energy extraction from rotating black holes - still lacks clear observational evidence. A promising theoretical framework posits magnetic reconnection in the ergosphere as a trigger, causing a plasmoid to separate into an escaping positive-energy fragment and an infalling negative-energy one. In this work, we investigate the observational imprints of this scenario. We treat the energized plasmoid as a hotspot and calculate its light curves for a realistic plasma magnetization. In particular, we further compare with the scenario in which the plasmoid, after fragmentation, falls into the black hole with positive energy, while all other conditions remain unchanged. Our results reveal that the process of fragmentation generates distinct flares, whose characteristics depend heavily on whether the infalling fragment carries negative or positive energy. We propose that these differences serve as identifiable signatures of the Penrose process.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2025

Semi-analytical Study on the Polarized Images of Black Hole due to Frame Dragging

An initially retrograde accretion flow is transformed into a prograde configuration before plunging into the black hole, as a result of the frame-dragging effect induced by the black hole's rotation. The polarized image of a black hole shaped by such an accretion flow manifests three distinctive critical locations: the turning point of the flow's primary image, the polarization-flip location on the image plane, and the position of the primary image corresponding to the flow's actual turning point in spacetime. Due to the influences of gravitational lensing and gravitational Faraday rotation, these three positions generally do not coincide. In this work, we examine a thin equatorial accretion disk composed of initially retrograde, geodesically moving flows, and conduct a systematic investigation into the interrelations and discrepancies among these critical locations. We elucidate the spatial hierarchy among the three, and for an on-axis observer, we derive approximate analytic expressions characterizing their positions.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2025

Geodesics and Shadows in the Kerr-Bertotti-Robinson Black Hole Spacetime

In this work, we investigate geodesics and black hole shadows in the Kerr-Bertotti-Robinson spacetime. We show that the equations of motion for null geodesics are separable and admit analytical treatment, whereas timelike geodesics are generally non-separable. Approximate analytical expressions for the photon sphere and the innermost stable circular orbit are derived via perturbative expansions in the magnetic field strength. We further explore the black hole shadow using both numerical and analytical methods, examining the effects of the magnetic field, the observer's inclination angle and radial position. Deviations from the standard Kerr shadow are quantified, and a physical interpretation is provided by introducing asymptotic regimes defined relative to the magnetic field strength.

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arXiv2025

Autocorrelation signatures in time-resolved black hole flare images: secondary peaks and convergence structure

The strong gravitational field of a black hole bends light, forming multi-level images, yet extracting precise spacetime information from them remains challenging. In this study, we investigate how gravitational lensing leaves unique and detectable signatures in black hole movies using autocorrelation analysis. By examining the two-dimensional autocorrelation of a movie depicting a hotspot orbiting a Kerr black hole, as viewed by a near-axis observer, we identify a persistent secondary peak structure induced by gravitational lensing. Notably, these secondary peaks converge toward an approximately fixed point in the time-angle lag domain, largely independent of the orbital radius of the hotspot. This key property suggests that combining future flare observations with precise autocorrelation analysis could effectively disentangle lensing effects from orbital dynamics, enabling direct measurement of black hole parameters.

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arXiv2024

Magnetic reconnection under centrifugal and gravitational electromotive forces

We examine the physical implications of the centrifugal and gravitational electromotive forces on magnetic reconnection in a Kerr black hole background. We find that both forces increase the reconnection rate, though the underlying mechanisms differ substantially. The gravitational force leads to a separation of charge density, breaking the quasi-neutrality of the plasma. In contrast, the centrifugal electromotive force affects the electric current by reducing the effective length of the current sheet. This reduction arises from the non-Euclidean spatial geometry observed by a locally comoving observer with respect to the rotating sheet. This phenomenon amplifies both the transport of charged carriers and the thermal-inertia effect within the current sheet, irrespective of the presence of a black hole.

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arXiv2024

Coport: A New Public Code for Polarized Radiative Transfer in a Covariant Framework$^\spadesuit$

General relativistic radiative transfer calculations are essential for comparing theoretical models of black hole accretion flows and jets with observational data. In this work, we introduce Coport, a novel public code specifically designed for covariant polarized ray-tracing radiative transfer computations in any spacetime. Written in Julia, Coport includes an interface for visualizing numerical results obtained from HARM, a publicly available implementation of the general relativistic magnetohydrodynamics code. We validate the precision of our code by comparing its outputs with the results from a variety of established methodologies. This includes the verification against analytical solutions, the validation through thin-disk assessments, and the evaluation via thick-disk analyses. Notably, our code employs a methodology that eliminates the need for separating the computations of spacetime propagation and plasma propagation. Instead, it directly solves the coupled, covariant, polarized radiative transfer equation in curved spacetime, seamlessly integrating the effects of gravity with plasma influences. This approach sets our code apart from the existing alternatives and enhances its accuracy and efficiency.

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