arXiv subjects

Naritaka Oshita

Publications and source records attributed to Naritaka Oshita.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Gravitational-wave Echoes Beyond the Hubble Time from Quantum Black Holes

We investigate gravitational-wave echoes in a horizonless compact object model, a non-perturbative solution of the semi-classical Einstein equation that reproduces the entropy-area law from the bulk structure. By employing a model of anisotropic fluids in classical general relativity (GR), we show that odd-parity gravitational waves are not reflected at the object's surface but are trapped inside due to the exponentially strong redshift, and that the echo-delay time extremely exceeds the age of the Universe. Consequently, the echo signals are effectively unobservable, which is consistent with current null results from echo searches. We finally discuss how this quantum black hole and the conventional classical black hole could be distinguished observationally.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2026

Detectability of avoided crossings in black hole ringdowns

Quasinormal modes (QNMs) of black holes can exhibit avoided crossings (ACs), in which specific QNM frequencies approach each other while their amplitudes are enhanced and acquire nearly opposite phases, leading to characteristic interference. Resolving such closely spaced modes through black hole spectroscopy is observationally challenging. In this paper, we investigate the detectability of nearly degenerate QNMs in the presence of an AC within a Bayesian framework using three waveform models. We examine how the inference of the complex frequencies and amplitudes depends on the separation between the two QNM frequencies and on the choice of template waveform. We find that resolving the individual QNM frequencies is difficult even under optimistic conditions. On the other hand, collective waveform signatures associated with ACs may still be identified through complementary waveform descriptions, provided that the AC-related modes dominate the observed ringdown signal and contamination from more slowly damped modes is negligible or can be removed.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2026

Theoretical Aspects of Direct Waves in Kerr Black Holes: Pole-Splitting Method for Ringdown Analysis

We formulate the theoretical aspects of direct waves (DWs) in the case of extreme-mass merger. A DW is a source-driven waveform characterized by a complex frequency $ω_{\rm G}$, which reflects the orbital motion of the particle in the vicinity of the black hole, including a part of the orbit inside the ergoregion: its real part is governed by frame dragging and its imaginary part by the redshift of the source. Using the Green's function technique, we derive the source-driven frequency $ω_{\rm G}$, describe its screening by the potential barrier, and discuss its relation to dynamically excited quasinormal modes (QNMs). We then introduce a pole-splitting method that divides the full waveform into a QNM-pole sector and a non-QNM sector. Unlike QNM filtering, which multiplies the waveform spectrum by a filter function and thereby deforms it through a frequency-dependent time shift (i.e., group delay), our pole-splitting method merely divides the transfer function into pole and non-pole parts, separating the full waveform. Simulating a quasi-circular plunge into a Kerr black hole with medium and rapid spins, we find that the frequency and decay rate of the non-pole sector in the dominant mode, $\ell = m = 2$, evolve consistently with $ω_{\rm G}$-or with its screened counterpart $ω_{\rm screen}$-establishing the DW as a probe of the ergoregion and of the redshift effect around a black hole.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2026

Excitation factors and exceptional points of Kerr-de Sitter quasinormal modes

We compute the excitation factors of Kerr-de Sitter black hole quasinormal modes using two different techniques: a Heun function representation and an expansion of the solution in terms of hypergeometric functions. Exceptional points at which the complex frequencies of different overtones coincide are a generic feature of the Kerr-de Sitter quasinormal mode spectrum. Near exceptional points, the modes exhibit a "hysteresis phenomenon" that was previously found for Kerr black holes perturbed by massive fields and the absolute value of the excitation factors of the individual modes is significantly enhanced, while they acquire nearly opposite phases. We extrapolate the excitation factors to small values of the cosmological constant and find good agreement with previous calculations in the Kerr limit.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2026

Black hole spectroscopy: from theory to experiment

The "ringdown" radiation emitted by oscillating black holes has great scientific potential. By carefully predicting the frequencies and amplitudes of black hole quasinormal modes and comparing them with gravitational-wave data from compact binary mergers we can advance our understanding of the two-body problem in general relativity, verify the predictions of the theory in the regime of strong and dynamical gravitational fields, and search for physics beyond the Standard Model or new gravitational degrees of freedom. We summarize the state of the art in our understanding of black hole quasinormal modes in general relativity and modified gravity, their excitation, and the modeling of ringdown waveforms. We also review the status of LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA ringdown observations, data analysis techniques, and the bright prospects of the field in the era of LISA and next-generation ground-based gravitational-wave detectors.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2026

Excitation region of Kerr black hole quasinormal modes from Stokes geometry

We investigate the excitation region of black hole quasinormal modes (QNMs) from both analytical and numerical perspectives. On the analytical side, we propose that the QNM excitation radius is identified by the dominance switching of WKB solutions across an anti-Stokes line. Based on this picture, we derive the condition for the QNM excitation radius in Kerr spacetime. In the Schwarzschild limit with mass $M$, we reproduce the previously known value $r=2.556929 M$, which differs from the light ring radius $r=3M$. We also show that the excitation radius is independent of the angular mode $\ell$ in the high-overtone limit. As an independent approach, we employ the numerical convergence test of QNM-plus-tail expansion and obtain values consistent with the Stokes geometry in the high-overtone limit at low and intermediate spins. In the extremal limit, the QNM convergence radius approaches the outer horizon, which is captured by the Stokes geometry of the zero-damping modes, rather than the high-overtone limit. This is consistent with the fact that the ringdown is dominated by zero-damping modes in the extremal limit. Based on the complementary analysis of Stokes geometry and the convergence test, we argue that in general, the QNM excitation radius depends on the QNM overtone number, giving rise to an effective QNM convergence region.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2026

Spectral instability of parametrized black hole quasinormal modes in the high-overtone limit via the exact WKB analysis

We study the asymptotic behavior of parametrized black hole quasinormal modes (QNMs) in the high-overtone limit. To gain insights into their analytical structure, we apply the exact WKB method, which was recently developed by the same authors. Our theoretical predictions are confirmed in good agreement with the numerical results based on Leaver's method. For specific values of parametrization parameters that characterize deviations from general relativity, we find that the real part of asymptotic QNM frequencies diverges in the high-overtone limit, in sharp contrast to the case of a Schwarzschild black hole. This demonstrates that the convergence of the real parts of high-overtone QNMs is a distinctive feature of general relativity, while parametrized corrections generically lead to divergent spectral behaviors.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2026

Exceptional Lines and Excitation of (Nearly) Double-Pole Quasinormal Modes: A Semi-Analytic Study in the Nariai Black Hole

We show that quasinormal modes (QNMs) of a massive scalar field in Kerr-de Sitter and Myers-Perry black holes exhibit an exceptional line (EL), which is a continuous set of exceptional points (EPs) in parameter space, at which two QNM frequencies and their associated solutions coincide. We find that the EL appears in the parameter space spanned by the scalar mass and the black hole spin parameter, and also in the Nariai limit, i.e., $r_{\rm c} - r_{\rm h} \to 0$, where $r_{\rm c}$ and $r_{\rm h}$ denote the radii of the cosmological and black hole horizons, respectively. We analytically study the amplitudes or excitation factors of QNMs near the EL. Such an analytic treatment becomes possible since, in the Nariai limit, the perturbation equation reduces to a wave equation with the Pöschl-Teller (PT) potential. We discuss the destructive excitation of QNMs and the stability of the ringdown near and at the EL. The transient linear growth of QNMs -- a characteristic excitation pattern near an EP or EL -- together with the conditions under which this linear growth dominates the early ringdown, is also studied analytically. Our conditions apply to a broad class of systems that involve the excitation of (nearly) double-pole QNMs.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2026

Waveform Modelling for the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna

LISA, the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna, will usher in a new era in gravitational-wave astronomy. As the first anticipated space-based gravitational-wave detector, it will expand our view to the millihertz gravitational-wave sky, where a spectacular variety of interesting new sources abound: from millions of ultra-compact binaries in our Galaxy, to mergers of massive black holes at cosmological distances; from the beginnings of inspirals that will venture into the ground-based detectors' view to the death spiral of compact objects into massive black holes, and many sources in between. Central to realising LISA's discovery potential are waveform models, the theoretical and phenomenological predictions of the pattern of gravitational waves that these sources emit. This white paper is presented on behalf of the Waveform Working Group for the LISA Consortium. It provides a review of the current state of waveform models for LISA sources, and describes the significant challenges that must yet be overcome.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2026

Dynamical Tidal Response of Non-rotating Black Holes: Connecting the MST Formalism and Worldline EFT

The response of a black hole (BH) to tidal forces encodes key information about the underlying gravitational theory and affects the waveform of gravitational waves emitted during binary inspiral processes. In this paper, we analyze the dynamical tidal response of static and spherically symmetric BHs in a low-frequency regime within general relativity (GR), based on a matching between the Mano-Suzuki-Takasugi (MST) methods for an analytical approach to BH perturbations and the worldline effective field theory (EFT) for an efficient and unified computation of the binary dynamics within the post-Newtonian regime. We show that the renormalized tidal response function is subject to inevitable ambiguities associated with the choice of renormalization scheme and with the initial condition of the renormalization flow equation. Once these ambiguities are fixed, we obtain scheme-dependent dynamical tidal Love numbers. We also discuss possible extensions of our formalism, including generic non-rotating compact objects (e.g., neutron stars) in GR and BHs in theories beyond GR.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2025

Quasinormal Modes from EFT of Black Hole Perturbations in Vector-Tensor Gravity

We study the dynamics of odd-parity perturbations on a static and spherically symmetric black hole background with a timelike vector field based on the effective field theory (EFT) approach. We derive the quadratic Lagrangian written in terms of two master variables, corresponding to the tensor and vector gravitons, which are coupled in general, while they can be decoupled on a stealth Schwarzschild(-de Sitter) background. For the stealth Schwarzschild background, we find that the quasinormal mode frequencies for both degrees of freedom are obtained from those in general relativity by simple scaling. Nonetheless, due to the fact that the metric perturbation is a non-trivial linear combination of the two degrees of freedom with different QNM spectra, the ringdown gravitational waves may exhibit characteristic modulation that can in principle be a signature of vector-tensor gravity.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2025

Parametrized Tidal Dissipation Numbers of Non-rotating Black Holes

A set of tidal dissipation numbers (TDNs) quantifies the absorption of the tidal force exerted by a companion during an inspiralling phase of a binary compact object. This tidal dissipation generally affects the gravitational waveform, and measuring the TDNs of a black hole (BH) allows us to test the nature of gravity in the strong-field regime. In this paper, we develop a parametrized formalism for calculating the TDNs of static and spherically symmetric BH backgrounds using the Mano-Suzuki-Takasugi method, which connects the underlying perturbative equations with observable quantities in gravitational-wave observations in a theory-agnostic manner. Our formalism applies to any system where the master equation has the form of the Regge-Wheeler/Zerilli equation with a small correction to the effective potential. As an application of our formalism, we consider three examples: the effective field theory of BH perturbations with timelike scalar profile, the Einstein-Maxwell system, and a higher-curvature extension of general relativity. We also discuss the absence of logarithmic running for the TDNs.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2025

Probing Direct Waves in Black Hole Ringdowns

Merger gravitational waves from binary black hole coalescence carry rich information about the underlying spacetime dynamics. We analyze merger waves from comparable-mass and extreme-mass-ratio binaries, obtained from numerical relativity and black-hole perturbation theory, respectively, and argue that they are dominated by the prompt wave emissions as the black holes collide. This signal, which we refer to as the direct wave, is modulated by the plunging motion and selectively screened by the gravitational potential of the remnant black hole. The direct wave typically exhibits a time-dependent frequency and decay rate, but for high-spin remnants $(\gtrsim0.7)$ the ergosphere renders it mode-like, with a quasi-stable instantaneous oscillation frequency close to the superradiant frequency. We further estimate its detectability in a GW150914-like system and find that the signal-to-noise ratio can exceed $\sim 10$ with the current ground-based detector network. Our results therefore identify the direct wave as a robust observable for analyzing black hole ringdowns in current and future gravitational wave events.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2025

Path to an exact WKB analysis of black hole quasinormal modes

We investigate black hole quasinormal modes using the exact WKB method. We perform an analytic continuation from the horizon to infinity along the positive real axis of the radial coordinate and impose appropriate boundary conditions at these asymptotic positions. We clarify the role of previously overlooked logarithmic spirals of Stokes curves and branch cuts emerging from the horizon. We carefully reformulate the derivation of the quasinormal mode conditions using the exact WKB analysis, incorporating the contributions from these features into the calculation. We successfully derive correct results for both solvable model examples and the Schwarzschild spacetime. Our formulation enjoys straightforward extensions to other background geometries as well as a wide range of other physical systems.

hep-th↗

arXiv2025

Overtones and Nonlinearities in Binary Black Hole Ringdowns

Using high-accuracy numerical relativity waveforms, we confirm the presence of numerous overtones of the $\ell=2$, $m=2$ quasinormal mode early in the ringdown of binary black hole mergers. We do this by demonstrating the stability of the mode amplitudes at different fit times, ruling out the possibility that a linear superposition of modes unphysically fits a highly nonlinear part of the waveform. We also find a number of previously unidentified subdominant second-order quasinormal modes in the $(2,2)$ mode. Even though these modes are mathematically nonlinear, they nevertheless confirm the validity of perturbation theory as a good approximation for describing much of the ringdown.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2025

Unstable chords and destructive resonant excitation of black hole quasinormal modes

The quasinormal mode spectrum of black holes is unstable against small modifications of the radial potential describing massless perturbations. We study how these small modifications affect the convergence of the quasinormal mode expansion and the mode excitation by computing the mode amplitudes from first principles, without relying on any fitting procedure. We show that the decomposition of the prompt ringdown waveform is not unique: small modifications in the radial potential produce new quasinormal mode ''basis sets'' that can improve the convergence of the quasinormal mode expansion, even capturing the late-time tail. We also study avoided crossings and exceptional points of the Kerr and Kerr-de Sitter spectrum. We show that while the mode amplitude can be resonantly excited, modes that exhibit avoided crossing destructively interfere with each other, so that the prompt ringdown waveform remains stable.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2025

Remote Hawking-Moss instanton and the Lorentzian path integral

The Hawking-Moss (HM) bounce solution implies that the tunneling amplitude between vacua is uniquely determined by the vacuum energy at the initial vacuum and the top of a potential barrier, regardless of the field distance between them $Δϕ$. This implausible conclusion was carefully discussed in [E. J. Weinberg, Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 251303, (2007)], and it was concluded that the conventional HM amplitude is not reliable for a transition to the top of distant local maxima (hereinafter referred to as the remote HM transition). We revisit this issue and study the impact of the quantum tunneling effect on the remote HM transition. We demonstrate that the amplitude for such a distant transition is indeed smaller than the conventional HM amplitude by employing the Lorentzian path integral in a simple setup. We consider a linear potential, which allows for analytic treatments, and evaluate the up-tunneling probability of a homogeneous scalar field in de Sitter spacetime. The Picard-Lefschetz theory is employed to identify the relevant Lefschetz thimble, representing the relevant tunneling trajectory. We then compare the resulting transition amplitude with the conventional HM amplitude. We find that when the field separation $|Δϕ|$ is larger, the quantum-tunneling amplitude, estimated by our Lorentzian path integral, is smaller than that of the conventional HM amplitude. This implies that the transition amplitude may be significantly suppressed if the thermal interpretation is not applicable and the quantum-tunneling effect is dominant for the remote HM transition.

hep-th↗

arXiv2024

Tidal Love Numbers from EFT of Black Hole Perturbations with Timelike Scalar Profile

We study static tidal Love numbers (TLNs) of a static and spherically symmetric black hole for odd-parity metric perturbations. We describe black hole perturbations using the effective field theory (EFT), formulated on an arbitrary background with a timelike scalar profile in the context of scalar-tensor theories. In particular, we obtain a static solution for the generalized Regge-Wheeler equation order by order in a modified-gravity parameter and extract the TLNs uniquely by analytic continuation of the multipole index $\ell$ to non-integer values. For a stealth Schwarzschild black hole, the TLNs are vanishing as in the case of Schwarzschild solution in general relativity. We also study the case of Hayward black hole as an example of non-stealth background, where we find that the TLNs are non-zero (or there is a logarithmic running). This result suggests that our EFT allows for non-vanishing TLNs and can in principle leave a detectable imprint on gravitational waves from inspiralling binary systems, which opens a new window for testing gravity in the strong-field regime.

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