arXiv subjects

Stoytcho S. Yazadjiev

Publications and source records attributed to Stoytcho S. Yazadjiev.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2024

Spontaneous scalarization

Scalarization is a mechanism that endows strongly self-gravitating bodies, such as neutron stars and black holes, with a scalar-field configuration. It resembles a phase transition in that the scalar configuration appears only when a certain quantity that characterizes the compact object, for example, its compactness or spin, is beyond a threshold. A critical and comprehensive review of scalarization, including the mechanism itself, theories that exhibit it, its manifestation in neutron stars, black holes and their binaries, potential extension to other fields, and a thorough discussion of future perspectives, is provided.

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arXiv2024

Quasinormal Modes in Modified Gravity using Physics-Informed Neural Networks

In this paper, we apply a novel approach based on physics-informed neural networks to the computation of quasinormal modes of black hole solutions in modified gravity. In particular, we focus on the case of Einstein-scalar-Gauss-Bonnet theory, with several choices of the coupling function between the scalar field and the Gauss-Bonnet invariant. This type of calculation introduces a number of challenges with respect to the case of General Relativity, mainly due to the extra complexity of the perturbation equations and to the fact that the background solution is known only numerically. The solution of these perturbation equations typically requires sophisticated numerical techniques that are not easy to develop in computational codes. We show that physics-informed neural networks have an accuracy which is comparable to traditional numerical methods in the case of numerical backgrounds, while being very simple to implement. Additionally, the use of GPU parallelization is straightforward thanks to the use of standard machine learning environments.

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arXiv2024

Testing disformal non-circular deformation of Kerr black holes with LISA

There is strong observational evidence that almost every large galaxy has a supermassive black hole at its center. It is of fundamental importance to know whether such black holes are described by the standard Kerr solution in General Relativity (GR) or by another black hole solution. An interesting alternative is the so-called disformal Kerr black holes which exist within the framework of degenerate higher-order scalar-tensor (DHOST) theories of gravity. The departure from the standard Kerr black hole spacetime is parametrized by a parameter $D$, called $\textit{disformal parameter}$. In the present work, we discuss the capability of LISA to detect the disformal parameter. For this purpose, we study Extreme Mass Ratio Inspirals (EMRI's) around disformal Kerr black holes within the framework of the quadrupole hybrid formalism. Even when the disformal parameter is very small, its effect on the globally accumulated phase of the gravitational waveform of an EMRI can be significant due to the large number of cycles in the LISA band made by the small compact object. We show that LISA will in principle be able to detect and measure extremely small values of the disformal parameter which in turn, can be seen as an assessment of LISA's ability to detect very small deviations from the Kerr geometry.

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arXiv2024

Shadows of rotating hairy Kerr black holes coupled to time periodic scalar fields with non-flat target space

We study the shadows cast by rotating hairy black holes with two non-trivial time-periodic scalar fields having a non-flat Gaussian curvature of the target space spanned by the scalar fields. Such black holes are a viable alternative to the Kerr black hole, having a much more complicated geodesic structure and resulting shadows. We investigate how a nontrivial Gauss curvature alters the pictures for different amounts of scalar hair around the black holes, quantified by a normalized charge. Our results show that for high values of this charge, close to a boson star limit, chaotic shadows are observed with multiple small disconnected components for all considered Gaussian curvatures. For moderately large amounts of scalar hair and corresponding normalized charge, although the shadows still exhibit chaotic behavior, a dominant shadow component emerges, the size and shape of which are substantially influenced by the Gaussian curvature. For instance, highly chaotic shadows for flat target space, start developing a large central shadow region with the increase of the Gauss curvature even for black holes with substantially heavy scalar hair. For lower values of the normalized charge, the shadows resemble qualitatively the Kerr black hole while the Gaussian curvature has a small impact on their properties.

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arXiv2024

3+1 non-linear evolution of Ricci-coupled scalar-Gauss-Bonnet gravity

Scalar-Gauss-Bonnet (sGB) gravity with an additional coupling between the scalar field and the Ricci scalar exhibits very interesting properties related to black hole stability, evasion of binary pulsar constraints, and general relativity as a late-time cosmology attractor. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that a spherically symmetric collapse is well-posed for a wide range of parameters. In the present paper we examine further the well-posedness through $3+1$ evolution of static and rotating black holes. We show that the evolution is indeed hyperbolic if the weak coupling condition is not severely violated. The loss of hyperbolicity is caused by the gravitational sector of the physical modes, thus it is not an artifact of the gauge choice. We further seek to compare the Ricci-coupled sGB theory against the standard sGB gravity with additional terms in the Gauss-Bonnet coupling. We find strong similarities in terms of well-posedness, but we also point out important differences in the stationary solutions. As a byproduct, we show strong indications that stationary near-extremal scalarized black holes exist within the Ricci-coupled sGB theory, where the scalar field is sourced by the spacetime curvature rather than the black hole spin.

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arXiv2024

The power of binary pulsars in testing Gauss-Bonnet gravity

Binary pulsars are a powerful tool for probing strong gravity that still outperforms direct gravitational wave observations in a number of directions due to the remarkable accuracy of the pulsar timing. They can constrain very precisely the presence of additional charges of the orbiting neutron stars leading to new channels of energy and angular momentum loss, such as the scalar dipole radiation. In the present paper, we explore in detail the possibility of constraining different classes of scalar-Gauss-Bonnet gravity with binary pulsars. Additionally, the existing constraints related to the observed maximum mass of neutron stars are also updated. Interestingly, depending on the equation of state, the resulting limits on the theory coupling parameters can outperform the constraints coming from binary merger observations by up to a factor of 2 even for the so-called Einstein-dilaton-Gauss-Bonnet gravity where neutron stars are often underestimated as relevant theory probes. As an additional merit, precise Bayesian methods are compared with approximate approaches with the latter showing very good performance despite their simplicity.

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arXiv2023

Distinctive Features of Hairy Black Holes in Teleparallel Gauss-Bonnet Gravity

We examine the teleparallel formulation of non-minimally coupled scalar Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet gravity. In the teleparallel formulation, gravity is described by torsion instead of curvature, causing the usual Gauss-Bonnet invariant expressed through curvature to decay into two separate invariants built from torsion. Consequently, the teleparallel formulation permits broader possibilities for non-minimal couplings between spacetime geometry and the scalar field. In our teleparallel theory, there are two different branches of equations in spherical symmetry depending on how one solves the antisymmetric part of the field equations, leading to a real and a complex tetrad. We first show that the real tetrad seems to be incompatible with the regularity of the equations at the event horizon, which is a symptom that scalarized black hole solutions beyond the Riemannian Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet theory might not exist. Therefore, we concentrate our study on the complex tetrad. This leads to the emergence of scalarized black hole solutions, where the torsion acts as the scalar field source. Extending our previous work, we study monomial non-minimal couplings of degrees one and two, which are intensively studied in conventional, curvature-based, scalar Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet gravity. We discover that the inclusion of torsion can potentially alter the stability of the resulting scalarized black holes. Specifically, our findings indicate that for a quadratic coupling, which is entirely unstable in the pure curvature formulation, the solutions induced by torsion may exhibit stability within certain regions of the parameter space. In a limiting case, we were also able to find black holes with a strong scalar field close to the horizon but with a vanishing scalar charge.

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arXiv2023

Testing the limits of scalar-Gauss-Bonnet gravity through nonlinear evolutions of spin-induced scalarization

Quadratic theories of gravity with second order equations of motion provide an interesting model for testing deviations from general relativity in the strong gravity regime. However, they can suffer from a loss of hyperbolicity, even for initial data that is in the weak coupling regime and free from any obvious pathology. This effect has been studied in a variety of cases including isolated black holes and binaries. Here we explore the loss of hyperbolicity in spin-induced scalarization of isolated Kerr black holes in a scalar-Gauss-Bonnet theory of gravity, employing the modified CCZ4 formulation that has recently been developed. We find that, as in previous studies, hyperbolicity is lost when the scalar field and its gradients become large, and identify the breakdown in our evolutions with the physical modes of the purely gravitational sector. We vary the gauge parameters and find the results to be independent of their value. This, along with our use of a different gauge formulation to previous works, supports the premise that the loss of hyperbolicity is dominated by the physical modes. Since scalar-Gauss-Bonnet theories can be viewed as effective field theories (EFTs), we also examine the strength of the coupling during the evolution. We find that at the moment when hyperbolicity is lost the system is already well within the regime where the EFT is no longer valid. This reinforces the idea that the theories should only be applied within their regime of validity, and not treated as complete theories in their own right.

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arXiv2023

Spontaneous Scalarization of Black Holes in Gauss-Bonnet Teleparallel Gravity

In this paper, we find new scalarized black holes by coupling a scalar field with the Gauss-Bonnet invariant in Teleparallel gravity. The Teleparallel formulation of this theory uses torsion instead of curvature to describe the gravitational interaction and it turns out that, in this language, the usual Gauss-Bonnet term in four dimensions, decays in two distinct boundary terms, the Teleparallel Gauss-Bonnet invariants. Both can be coupled individually, or in any combination to a scalar field, to obtain a Teleparallel Gauss-Bonnet extension of the Teleparallel equivalent of general relativity. The theory we study contains the familiar Riemannian Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet gravity theory as a particular limit and offers a natural extension, in which scalarization is triggered by torsion and with new interesting phenomenology. We demonstrate numerically the existence of asymptotically flat scalarized black hole solutions and show that, depending on the choice of coupling of the boundary terms, they can have a distinct behaviour compared to the ones known from the usual Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet case. More specifically, non-monotonicity of the metric functions and the scalar field can be present, a feature that was not observed until now for static scalarized black hole solutions.

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arXiv2023

Differentially rotating scalarized neutron stars with realistic post-merger profile

The merger remnant of a binary neutron star coalescence is initially strongly differentially rotating. Some properties of these remnants can be accurately modeled through building equilibrium neutron star models. In the present paper, we study how a modification of general relativity, namely scalar-tensor theory with a massive scalar field, will alter the picture. In contrast to previous studies, we implement a realistic phenomenological differential rotational law which allows for neutron star models to attain maximal angular velocity away from the center. We find that solutions with much higher masses and angular momenta exist in scalar-tensor theory compared to general relativity. They keep their quasi-spherical energy-density distribution for significantly higher values of the angular momentum before transitioning to quasi-toroidal models, in contrast to pure general relativity. Constructing such neutron star solutions is the first step to our final goal that is studying how scalarization alters the stability and gravitational wave emission of post-merger remnants.

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arXiv2023

Dynamical Scalarization during Neutron Star Mergers in scalar-Gauss-Bonnet Theory

In certain classes of the scalar-Gauss-Bonnet theory strong spacetime curvature in the vicinity of neutron stars and black holes can spontaneously trigger scalarization in the compact object if the coupling strength of the scalar field to the Gauss-Bonnet invariant exceeds a critical value. Specifying on neutron stars, this threshold depends on the mass and equation of state. The presence of a companion will further influence the required coupling strength for scalarization, and thus, a stable hair can be installed at a lower magnitude of coupling for those neutron stars as members of binaries. Focusing on binary neutron star mergers, we investigate this latter dynamically-driven scalarization, and find that the reduction in the threshold coupling strength seems to be more profound for symmetric binaries, while the threshold is only marginally reduced for rather asymmetric binaries. The associated scalar radiation is also discussed. We discover in addition a universal relation between the critical coupling strength and the stellar compactness for isolated neutron stars and perform a detailed comparison with the dynamical scalarization threshold. In synergy with such relations, one can, at least in principle, constrain the theory parameters regardless of the uncertainty in the equation of state.

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arXiv2022

Constraining scalarization in scalar-Gauss-Bonnet gravity through binary pulsars

In the present paper we derive strong constrains on scalarization in scalar-Gauss-Bonnet (sGB) gravity using observations of pulsars in close binary systems. Since scalarized neutron stars carry a nonzero scalar change, they emit scalar dipole radiation while inspiraling which speeds up the orbital decay. The observations support the conjecture that such radiation is either absent or very small for the observed binary pulsars. Using this, we determine the allowed range of parameters for sGB gravity. We also transfer the derived constraints to black holes in sGB gravity. It turns out that the maximum mass of a scalarized static black hole can not exceed roughly ten to twenty solar masses, depending on the initial assumptions we make for the nuclear matter equations of state. The black hole scalar charge on the other hand can reach relatively large values that are potentially observable.

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arXiv2022

Gravitational waves from accretion-induced descalarization in massive scalar-tensor theory

Many classes of extended scalar-tensor theories predict that dynamical instabilities can take place at high energies, leading to the formation of scalarized neutron stars. Depending on the theory parameters, stars in a scalarized state can form a solution-space branch that shares a lot of similarities with the so-called mass twins in general relativity appearing for equations of state containing first-order phase transitions. Members of this scalarized branch have a lower maximum mass and central energy density compared to Einstein ones. In such cases, a scalarized star could potentially over-accrete beyond the critical mass limit, thus triggering a gravitational phase transition where the star sheds its scalar hair and migrates over to its non-scalarized counterpart. Such an event resembles, though is distinct from, a nuclear or thermodynamic phase transition. We dynamically track a gravitational transition by first constructing hydrostatic, scalarized equilibria for realistic equations of state, and then allowing additional material to fall onto the stellar surface. The resulting bursts of monopolar radiation are dispersively-stretched to form a quasi-continuous signal that persists for decades, carrying strains of order $\gtrsim10^{-22} (\text{kpc}/L)^{3/2} \text{ Hz}^{-1/2}$ at frequencies of $\lesssim300 \text{ Hz}$, detectable with the existing interferometer network out to distances of $L\lesssim10 \text{ kpc}$, and out to a few hundred kpc with the inclusion of the Einstein Telescope. Electromagnetic signatures of such events, involving gamma-ray and neutrino bursts, are also considered.

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arXiv2022

Spontaneous nonlinear scalarization of Kerr black holes

As it became well known in the past years, Einstein-scalar-Gauss-Bonnet (EsGB) theories evade no-hair theorems and allow for scalarized compact objects including black holes (BH). The coupling function that defines the theory is the main character in the process and nature of scalarization. With the right choice, the theory becomes an extension of general relativity (GR) in the sense any solution to the GR field equations remains a solution in the EsGB theory, but it can destabilize if a certain threshold value of the spacetime curvature is exceeded. Thus BHs can spontaneously scalarized. The most studied driving mechanism to this phenomenon is a tachyonic instability due to an effective negative squared mass for the scalar field. However, even when the coupling is chosen such that this mass is zero, higher order terms with respect to the scalar field can lead to what is coined nonlinear scalarization. In this paper we investigate how Kerr BHs spontaneously scalarize by evolving the scalar field on a fixed background via solving the nonlinear Klein-Gordon equation. We consider two different coupling functions with higher order terms, one that yields a non-zero effective mass and another that does not. We sweep through the Kerr parameter space in its mass and spin and obtain the scalar charge by the end of the evolution when the field settles in an equilibrium stationary state. When there is no tachyonic instability present, there is no probe limit in which the BH scalarizes with zero charge, i.e. there is a gap between bald and hairy BHs and they only connect when the mass goes to zero together with the charge.

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arXiv2022

Dynamical descalarization with a jump during black hole merger

Black holes in scalar-Gauss-Bonnet gravity are prone to scalarization, that is a spontaneous development of scalar hair for strong enough spacetime curvature while the weak field regime of the theory coincides with general relativity. Since large spacetime curvature is associated with smaller black hole masses, the merging of black holes can lead to dynamical descalarization. This is a spontaneous release of the scalar hair of the newly formed black hole in case its mass is above the scalarization threshold. Depending on the exact form of the Gauss-Bonnet coupling function, the stable scalarized solutions can be either continuously connected to the Schwarzschild black hole, or the transitions between the two can happen with a jump. By performing simulations of black hole head-on collisions in scalar-Gauss-Bonnet gravity prone to dynamical descalization, we have demonstrated that such a jump can be clearly observed in the accumulated gravitational wave data of multiple merger events with different masses. The distinct signature in the gravitational wave signal will share similarities with the effects expected from first order matter phase transitions happening during neutron star binary mergers.

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arXiv2022

Radial perturbations of scalar-Gauss-Bonnet black holes beyond spontaneous scalarization

Spontaneous scalarization of black holes in scalar-Gauss-Bonnet (sGB) gravity is a very interesting phenomenon allowing black holes to circumvent the no-hair theorem and acquire scalar hair while leaving the weak field regime of the theory practically unaltered. It was recently shown that if we allow for a different form of the coupling between the scalar field and the Gauss-Bonnet invariant, a new type of scalarization is possible beyond the standard one that can be excited only nonlinearly. In this case the spectrum of black hole solutions can be more complicated, naturally opening the question about their stability. The goal of the present paper is to study this question including the possible loss of hyperbolicity of the radial perturbation equation. We show that one of the nonlinearly scalarized phases of the Schwarzschild black hole can be stable and hyperbolic for large enough black hole masses. These results establish the studied hairy black holes as viable astrophysical candidates.

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arXiv2022

Equatorial extreme-mass-ratio inspirals in Kerr black holes with scalar hair spacetimes

In this work we analyze some judiciously chosen solutions of Kerr Black Holes with Scalar Hair (KBHsSH) of special interest for Gravitational Wave (GW) events originated from Extreme Mass Ratio Inspirals (EMRIs). Because of the off-center distribution of energy density, these spacetimes are warped in such a way that not all metric functions behave monotonically on the equatorial plane as in the exterior region of Kerr black holes (KBHs). This has great impact on the orbital parameters, which in turn affects the imprints on signals descendant from EMRIs in a adiabatic evolution. By investigating circular obit parameters, we unveil what qualitative features could be present in the signals that are new and distinct compared to KBHs, and we evolve some inspirals by employing the usual quadrupole formula approximation. We show that the frequencies of the emitted signals behave nonmonotonically, i.e. they can backward chirp, and for some particular cases they can become arbitrarily small, falling below LISA's sensibility range. Finally, we present two sets of waveforms produced by a noncircular EMRI in which the compact object (CO) follows a type of geodesic motion typically present in spacetimes with a static ring (SR), in which the compact object is periodically momentarily at rest.

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arXiv2021

Axial perturbations of hairy Gauss-Bonnet black holes with massive self-interacting scalar field

We study the axial quasinormal modes of hairy black holes in Gauss-Bonnet gravity with massive self-interacting scalar field. Two coupling functions of the scalar field to the Gauss-Bonnet invariant are adopted with one of them leading to black hole scalarization. The axial perturbations are studied via time evolution of the perturbation equation, and the effect of the scalar field mass and the self-interaction constant on the oscillation frequency and damping time is examined. We study as well the effect of nonzero scalar field potential on the critical point at which the perturbation equation loses hyperbolicity in the case of black hole scalarization. The results show that the non-zero scalar field potential extends the range of parameters where such loss of hyperbolicity is observed thus shrinking the region of stable black hole existence. This will have an important effect on the nonlinear dynamical simulation studies in massive scalar Gauss-Bonnet gravity.

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