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Title: Accretion-induced quasinormal mode excitation of a Schwarzschild black hole

Abstract

By combining the numerical solution of the nonlinear hydrodynamics equations with the solution of the linear inhomogeneous Zerilli-Moncrief and Regge-Wheeler equations, we investigate the properties of the gravitational radiation emitted during the axisymmetric accretion of matter onto a Schwarzschild black hole. The matter models considered include quadrupolar dust shells and thick accretion disks, permitting us to simulate situations which may be encountered at the end stages of stellar gravitational collapse or binary neutron star merger. We focus on the interference pattern appearing in the energy spectra of the emitted gravitational waves and on the amount of excitation of the quasinormal modes of the accreting black hole. We show that, quite generically in the presence of accretion, the black-hole ringdown is not a simple superposition of quasinormal modes, although the fundamental mode is usually present and often dominates the gravitational-wave signal. We interpret this as due to backscattering of waves off the nonexponentially decaying part of the black-hole potential and to the finite spatial extension of the accreting matter. Our results suggest that the black-hole QNM contributions to the full gravitational-wave signal should be extremely small and possibly not detectable in generic astrophysical scenarios involving the accretion of extended distributions ofmore » matter.« less

Authors:
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [2];  [4];  [5];  [6];  [7]
+ Show Author Affiliations
  1. Dipartimento di Fisica and INFN, Politecnico di Torino, Turin (Italy)
  2. (Spain)
  3. Dipartimento di Astronomia e Scienza dello Spazio Universita di Firenze, Florence (Italy)
  4. Departamento de Astronomia y Astrofisica, Universidad de Valencia, Valencia (Spain)
  5. Max-Planck-Institut fuer Gravitationsphysik, Albert-Einstein-Institut, Potsdam-Golm (Germany)
  6. (Italy)
  7. (United States)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
21011081
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Resource Relation:
Journal Name: Physical Review. D, Particles Fields; Journal Volume: 75; Journal Issue: 4; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.75.044016; (c) 2007 The American Physical Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSICS; ACCRETION DISKS; AXIAL SYMMETRY; BACKSCATTERING; BLACK HOLES; COSMOLOGY; EMISSION; ENERGY SPECTRA; EXCITATION; GRAVITATIONAL COLLAPSE; GRAVITATIONAL RADIATION; GRAVITATIONAL WAVES; HYDRODYNAMICS; INTERFERENCE; NEUTRON STARS; NONLINEAR PROBLEMS; NUMERICAL SOLUTION; POTENTIALS

Citation Formats

Nagar, Alessandro, Departamento de Astronomia y Astrofisica, Universidad de Valencia, Valencia, Zanotti, Olindo, Departamento de Astronomia y Astrofisica, Universidad de Valencia, Valencia, Font, Jose A., Rezzolla, Luciano, SISSA, International School for Advanced Studies and INFN, Trieste, and Department of Physics, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA. Accretion-induced quasinormal mode excitation of a Schwarzschild black hole. United States: N. p., 2007. Web. doi:10.1103/PHYSREVD.75.044016.
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Nagar, Alessandro, Departamento de Astronomia y Astrofisica, Universidad de Valencia, Valencia, Zanotti, Olindo, Departamento de Astronomia y Astrofisica, Universidad de Valencia, Valencia, Font, Jose A., Rezzolla, Luciano, SISSA, International School for Advanced Studies and INFN, Trieste, & Department of Physics, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA. Accretion-induced quasinormal mode excitation of a Schwarzschild black hole. United States. doi:10.1103/PHYSREVD.75.044016.
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Nagar, Alessandro, Departamento de Astronomia y Astrofisica, Universidad de Valencia, Valencia, Zanotti, Olindo, Departamento de Astronomia y Astrofisica, Universidad de Valencia, Valencia, Font, Jose A., Rezzolla, Luciano, SISSA, International School for Advanced Studies and INFN, Trieste, and Department of Physics, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA. Thu . "Accretion-induced quasinormal mode excitation of a Schwarzschild black hole". United States. doi:10.1103/PHYSREVD.75.044016.
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@article{osti_21011081,
title = {Accretion-induced quasinormal mode excitation of a Schwarzschild black hole},
author = {Nagar, Alessandro and Departamento de Astronomia y Astrofisica, Universidad de Valencia, Valencia and Zanotti, Olindo and Departamento de Astronomia y Astrofisica, Universidad de Valencia, Valencia and Font, Jose A. and Rezzolla, Luciano and SISSA, International School for Advanced Studies and INFN, Trieste and Department of Physics, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA},
abstractNote = {By combining the numerical solution of the nonlinear hydrodynamics equations with the solution of the linear inhomogeneous Zerilli-Moncrief and Regge-Wheeler equations, we investigate the properties of the gravitational radiation emitted during the axisymmetric accretion of matter onto a Schwarzschild black hole. The matter models considered include quadrupolar dust shells and thick accretion disks, permitting us to simulate situations which may be encountered at the end stages of stellar gravitational collapse or binary neutron star merger. We focus on the interference pattern appearing in the energy spectra of the emitted gravitational waves and on the amount of excitation of the quasinormal modes of the accreting black hole. We show that, quite generically in the presence of accretion, the black-hole ringdown is not a simple superposition of quasinormal modes, although the fundamental mode is usually present and often dominates the gravitational-wave signal. We interpret this as due to backscattering of waves off the nonexponentially decaying part of the black-hole potential and to the finite spatial extension of the accreting matter. Our results suggest that the black-hole QNM contributions to the full gravitational-wave signal should be extremely small and possibly not detectable in generic astrophysical scenarios involving the accretion of extended distributions of matter.},
doi = {10.1103/PHYSREVD.75.044016},
journal = {Physical Review. D, Particles Fields},
number = 4,
volume = 75,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu Feb 15 00:00:00 EST 2007},
month = {Thu Feb 15 00:00:00 EST 2007}
}
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Journal Article:
DOI:  10.1103/PHYSREVD.75.044016
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  • ; - Physical Review. D, Particles Fields
    We formulate and calculate the second-order quasinormal modes (QNMs) of a Schwarzschild black hole (BH). Gravitational waves (GW) from a distorted BH, the so-called ringdowns, are well understood as QNMs in general relativity. Since QNMs from binary BH mergers will be detected with a high signal-to-noise ratio by GW detectors, it is also possible to detect the second perturbative order of QNMs, generated by nonlinear gravitational interaction near the BH. In the BH perturbation approach, we derive the master Zerilli equation for the metric perturbation to second order and explicitly regularize it at the horizon and spatial infinity. We numericallymore » solve the second-order Zerilli equation by implementing the modified Leaver continued fraction method. The second-order QNM frequencies are found to be twice the first-order ones, and the GW amplitude is up to {approx}10% that of the first order for the binary BH mergers. Since the second-order QNMs always exist, we can use their detections (i) to test the nonlinearity of general relativity, in particular, the no-hair theorem, (ii) to remove fake events in the data analysis of QNM GWs, and (iii) to measure the distance to the BH.« less

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