In the present work, the spin-coefficient formalism of Newman and Penrose is used to formulate geometric constraints for the existence of Kerr-Schild groups, i.e. continuous groups of generalized Kerr-Schild transformations. In addition, by characterizing the geometric structure of the deformed Einstein tensor of the generalized Kerr-Schild class, restrictions are imposed on the existence of apparent conservation laws in generic spacetimes, which are defined via considering special Kerr-Schild currents whose associated Kerr-Schild vector fields coincide with timelike Killing vector fields of pairs of stationary background geometries. The feasibility of the derived conditions is demonstrated by considering concrete, suitably simple models of generalized Kerr-Schild spacetimes.
An historical account of the reasoning that led to the discovery of the Kerr and Kerr-Schild metrics in 1963-1964, and their physical interpretation as rotating black holes, is presented.
The complete solution of the vacuum Kerr-Schild equations in general relativity is presented, including the space-times with a curved background metric. The corresponding result for a flat background has been obtained by Kerr.
The complete solution of Einstein's gravitational equations with a vacuum-vacuum Kerr-Schild pencil of metrics $g_{ab}+V l_al_b$ is obtained. Our result generalizes the solution of the Kerr-Schild problem with a flat metric $g_{ab}$ (represented by the Kerr theorem) to the case when $g_{ab}$ is the metric of a curved space-time.
We study in some detail the "extended Kerr-Schild" formulation of general relativity, which decomposes the gauge-independent degrees of freedom of a generic metric into two arbitrary functions and the choice of a flat background tetrad. We recast Einstein's equations and spacetime curvatures in the extended Kerr-Schild form and discuss their properties, illustrated with simple examples.
We show that the Kerr-Schild ansatz can be extended from the metric to the tetrad, and then to teleparallel gravity where curvature vanishes but torsion does not. We derive the equations of motion for the Kerr-Schild null vector, and describe the solution for a rotating black hole in this framework. It is shown that the solution depends on the chosen tetrad in a non-trivial way if the spin connection is fixed to be the one of the flat background spacetime. We show furthermore that any Kerr-Schild solution with a flat background is also a solution of $f(\mathcal{T})$ gravity.
We will show that the Nariai metric, i.e. the static spherically symmetric vacuum spacetime with a cosmological constant, admits a conformally Kerr-Schild spacetime representation. We find the vacuum solutions of the Einstein-Maxwell equations for the Nariai metric using the Horsky-Mitskievich generating conjecture.
Kerr-Schild metrics have been introduced as a linear superposition of the flat spacetime metric and a squared null vector field, say $\boldsymbol{k}$, multiplied by some scalar function, say $H$. The basic assumption which led to Kerr solution was that $\boldsymbol{k}$ be both geodesic and shearfree. This condition is relaxed here and Kerr-Schild ansatz is revised by treating Kerr-Schild metrics as {\it exact linear perturbations} of Minkowski spacetime. The scalar function $H$ is taken as the perturbing function, so that Einstein's field equations are solved order by order in powers of $H$. I…
The Kerr-Schild pencil of metrics $\tilde g_{ab}=g_{ab}+V l_al_b$, with $g_{ab}$ and $\tilde g_{ab}$ satisfying the vacuum Einstein equations, is investigated in the case when the null vector $l$ has vanishing twist. This class of Kerr-Schild metrics contains two solutions: the Kasner metric and a metric wich can be obtained from the Kasner metric by a complex coordinate transformation. Both are limiting cases of the Kóta-Perjés metrics. The base space-time is a pp-wave.
The exact metric of a moving Kerr black hole with an arbitrary constant velocity is derived in Kerr-Schild coordinates. We then calculate the null equatorial gravitational deflection caused by a radially moving Kerr source up to the second post-Minkowskian order, acting as an application of the weak field limit of the metric. The bending angle of light is found to be consistent with the result given in the previous works.
The present work deals with the search of useful physical applications of some generalized groups of metric transformations. We put forward different proposals and focus our attention on the implementation of one of them. Particularly, the results show how one can control very efficiently the kind of spacetimes related by a Generalized Kerr-Schild (GKS) Ansatz through Kerr-Schild groups. Finally a preliminar study regarding other generalized groups of metric transformations is undertaken which is aimed at giving some hints in new Ansätze to finding useful solutions to Einstein's equations.
We investigate the structure of the gravitational field generated by a massless particle moving on the horizon of an arbitrary (stationary) black hole. This is done by employing the generalized Kerr-Schild class where we take the null generators of the horizon as the geodetic null vector-field and a scalar function which is concentrated on the horizon.
We use the Kerr-Schild type Teukolsky equation (horizon penetrating) to evolve binary black hole initial data as proposed by Bishop {\em et al.} in the close limit. Our results are in agreement with those recently obtained by Sarbach {\em et al.} from the Zerilli equation evolution of the same initial data.
We extend the previously found accelerated Kerr-Schild metrics for Einstein-Maxwell-null dust and Einstein-Born-Infeld-null dust equations to the cases including the cosmological constant. This way we obtain the generalization of the charged de Sitter metrics in static space-times. We also give a generalization of the zero acceleration limit of our previous Einstein-Maxwell and Einstein-Born-Infeld solutions.
In this paper we have applied the generalized Kerr-Schild transformation finding a new family of stationary perfect-fluid solutions of the Einstein field equations. The procedure used combines some well-known techniques of null and timelike vector fields, from which some properties of the solutions are studied in a coordinate-free way. These spacetimes are algebraically special being their Petrov types II and D. This family includes all the classical vacuum Kerr-Schild spacetimes, excepting the plane-fronted gravitational waves, and some other interesting solutions as, for instance, the Kerr m…
The Kerr-Schild pencil of metrics $g_{ab}+\La l_al_b$ is investigated in the generic case when it maps an arbitrary vacuum space-time with metric $g_{ab}$ to a vacuum space-time. The theorem is proved that this generic case, with the field $l$ shearing, does not contain the shear-free subclass as a smooth limit. It is shown that one of the Kóta-Perjés metrics is a solution in the shearing class.
We present a new approach for setting initial Cauchy data for multiple black hole spacetimes. The method is based upon adopting an initially Kerr-Schild form of the metric. In the case of non-spinning holes, the constraint equations take a simple hierarchical form which is amenable to direct numerical integration. The feasibility of this approach is demonstrated by solving analytically the problem of initial data in a perturbed Schwarzschild geometry.
We describe conditions assuring that the Kerr--Schild type solutions of Einstein equations with pure radiation fields are asymptotically flat at future null infinity. Such metrics cannot describe ``true'' gravitational radiation from bounded sources--it is shown that the Bondi news function vanishes identically. We obtain formulae for the total energy and angular momentum at scri+. As an example we consider non-stationary generalization of the Kerr metric given by Vaidya and Patel. Angular momentum and total energy are expressed in closed form as functions of retarded time.
Generalizing previous work we propose how to superpose spinning black holes in a Kerr-Schild initial slice. This superposition satisfies several physically meaningful limits, including the close and the far ones. Further we consider the close limit of two black holes with opposite angular momenta and explicitly solve the constraint equations in this case. Evolving the resulting initial data with a linear code, we compute the radiated energy as a function of the masses and the angular momenta of the black holes.
We prove that given a solution of the Einstein equations $g_{ab}$ for the matter field $T_{ab}$, an autoparallel null vector field $l^{a}$ and a solution $(l_{a}l_{c}, \mathcal{T}_{ac})$ of the linearized Einstein equation on the given background, the Kerr-Schild metric $g_{ac}+λl_{a}l_{c}$ ($λ$ arbitrary constant) is an exact solution of the Einstein equation for the energy-momentum tensor $T_{ac}+λ\mathcal{T}_{ac}+λ^{2}l_{(a}\mathcal{T}_{c)b}l^{b}$. The mixed form of the Einstein equation for Kerr-Schild metrics with autoparallel null congruence is also linear. Some more technical conditions…
We describe a method to analyze causal geodesics in static and spherically symmetric spacetimes of Kerr-Schild form which, in particular, allows for a detailed study of the geodesics in the vicinity of the central singularity by means of a regularization procedure based on a generalization of the McGehee regularization for the motion of Newtonian point particles moving in a power-law potential. The McGehee regularization was used by Belbruno and Pretorius to perform a dynamical system regularization of the central singularity of the motion of massless test particles in the Schwarzschild spacet…
We present new results from two open source codes, using finite differencing and pseudo-spectral methods for the wave equations in (3+1) dimensions. We use a hyperboloidal transformation which allows direct access to null infinity and simplifies the control over characteristic speeds on Kerr-Schild backgrounds. We show that this method is ideal for attaching hyperboloidal slices or for adapting the numerical resolution in certain spacetime regions. As an example application, we study late-time Kerr tails of sub-dominant modes and obtain new insight into the splitting of decay rates. The involv…
Kerr-Schild formalism is generalized by incorporation of the Kerr Theorem with polynomials of higher degrees in $Y\in CP^1.$ It leads to multisheeted twistor spaces and multiparticle solutions.
Specialising to the case of Kerr-Schild spacetimes, which include the Kerr black hole and gravitational wave solutions, we propose a modification of the Penrose quasi-local energy. The modification relies on the existence of a natural Minkowski background for Kerr-Schild spacetimes. We find that the modified surface integral reduces to a volume integral of the Einstein tensor, which has been proposed previously as an appropriate definition for quasi-local energy for Kerr-Schild backgrounds. Furthermore, in the special case that the Kerr-Schild null vector is normal to the surface of interest, …
In this work we study in detail new kinds of motions of the metric tensor. The work is divided into two main parts. In the first part we study the general existence of Kerr-Schild motions --a recently introduced metric motion. We show that generically, Kerr-Schild motions give rise to finite dimensional Lie algebras and are isometrizable, i.e., they are in a one-to-one correspondence with a subset of isometries of a (usually different) spacetime. This is similar to conformal motions. There are however some exceptions that yield infinite dimensional algebras in any dimension of the manifold. We…
Algebraically special fields with no gravitational radiation are described. Kerr-Schild fields, which include as a concrete case the Kinnersley photon rocket, form an important subclass of them.
The Newman-Janis (NJ) method is a prescription to derive the Kerr space-time from the Schwarzschild metric. The BTZ, Kerr and five-dimensional Myers-Perry (MP) black hole solutions have already been generated by different versions of the NJ method. However, it is not known how to generate the metric of higher-dimensional (d > 6) rotating black holes by this method. In this paper, we propose the simplest algorithm for generation of the five-dimensional MP metric with two arbitrary angular momenta by using the Kerr-Schild form of the metric and quaternions. Then, we present another new two-step …
Aligned to the Kerr-Schild geometry electromagnetic excitations are investigated, and asymptotically exact solutions are obtained for the low-frequency limit.
The Newman-Janis algorithm and its generalizations can be used mathematically to generate rotating solutions from nonrotating spherically-symmetric solutions within general relativity. The energy-momentum tensors of these solutions may or may not represent the same physical system, in the sense of both being a perfect fluid, or an electromagnetic field, or a $Λ$-term, and so on. In a series of two papers, we compare the structure of the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the rotating and nonrotating energy-momentum tensors (their Segre types) and look for the existence of equations of state relat…
We study Kerr-Schild-Kundt class of metrics in generic gravity theories with Maxwell's field. We prove that these metrics linearize and simplify the field equations of generic gravity theories with Maxwell's field.
We consider an extended version of the Kerr theorem incorporated in the Kerr-Schild formalism. It allows one to construct the series of exact solutions of the Einstein-Maxwell field equations from a holomorphic generating function $F$ of twistor variables. The exact multiparticle Kerr-Schild solutions are obtained from generating function of the form $F=\prod_i^k F_i, $ where $F_i$ are partial generating functions for the spinning particles $ i=1...k$. Gravitational and electromagnetic interaction of the spinning particles occurs via the light-like singular twistor lines. As a result, each spi…
General properties of Kerr-Schild spacetimes with (A)dS background in arbitrary dimension are studied. It is shown that the geodetic Kerr-Schild vector k is a multiple WAND of the spacetime. Einstein Kerr-Schild spacetimes with non-expanding k are shown to be of Weyl type N, while the expanding spacetimes are of type II or D. It is shown that this class of spacetimes obeys the optical constraint. This allows us to solve Sachs equation, determine r-dependence of boost weight zero components of the Weyl tensor and discuss curvature singularities.
We evolve the binary black hole initial data family proposed by Bishop {\em et al.} in the limit in which the black holes are close to each other. We present an exact solution of the linearized initial value problem based on their proposal and make use of a recently introduced generalized formalism for studying perturbations of Schwarzschild black holes in arbitrary coordinates to perform the evolution. We clarify the meaning of the free parameters of the initial data family through the results for the radiated energy and waveforms from the black hole collision.
The Kerr-Schild form provides a natural way of realizing the classical double copy that relates exact solutions in general relativity to exact solutions in gauge theory. In this paper, we examine the asymptotic structure of Kerr-Schild form. In Newman-Unti gauge, we find a generic solution space satisfying the Kerr-Schild form in series expansion around null infinity. The news function in the solution space is chiral and can not lead to a mass loss formula. A class of asymptotically flat complex pp-wave solutions in closed form is obtained from the solution space.
The charged and spinning lightlike solutions are obtained in the Kerr-Schild formalism. In particular, one of them may be considered as an ultrarelativistic boost of the Kerr-Newman solution along the direction of angular momentum. The Kerr singular ring disappears, however, there remains a finite parameter $a$ which determines spin by the Kerr relation $J=ma$. By $J=\hbar$, the parameter $a$ is de Broglie wavelength of the corresponding photon. Electromagnetic field is aligned to the Kerr null congruence. Some of the presented solutions contain singular beam pulse (pp-strings) like the consid…
Five-dimensional Einstein-Maxwell-Chern-Simons equations are investigated in the framework of an extended Kerr-Schild strategy to search for black holes solutions. The fulfillment of Einstein equations constrains the Chern-Simons coupling constant to a value determined by the trace of the energy-momentum tensor of the electromagnetic configuration.
The Newman-Janis trick is a procedure, (not even really an ansatz), for obtaining the Kerr spacetime from the Schwarzschild spacetime. This 50 year old trick continues to generate heated discussion and debate even to this day. Most of the debate focusses on whether the Newman-Janis procedure can be upgraded to the status of an algorithm, or even an inspired ansatz, or is it just a random trick of no deep physical significance. (That the Newman-Janis procedure very quickly led to the discovery of the Kerr-Newman spacetime is a point very much in its favour.) In the current article we will not a…
We construct the classical double copy formalism for M-theory. This extends the current state of the art by including the three form potential of eleven dimensional supergravity along with the metric. The key for this extension is to construct a Kerr-Schild type Ansatz for exceptional field theory. This Kerr-Schild Ansatz then allows us to find the solutions of charged objects such as the membrane from a set of single copy fields. The exceptional field theory formalism then automatically produces the IIB Kerr-Schild ansatz allowing the construction of the single copy for the fields of IIB supe…
Using a complex representation of the Debney-Kerr-Schild (DKS) solutions and the Kerr theorem we analyze the boosted Kerr geometries and give the exact and explicit expressions for the metrics, the principal null congruences, the coordinate systems and the location of the singularities for arbitrary value and orientation of the boost with respect to the angular momentum. In the limiting, ultrarelativistic case we obtain light-like solutions possessing diverging and twisting principal null congruences and having, contrary to the known pp-wave limiting solutions, a non-zero value of the total an…
We consider Einstein Born-Infeld theory with a null fluid in Kerr-Schild Geometry. We find accelerated charge solutions of this theory. Our solutions reduce to the Plebanski solution when the acceleration vanishes and to the Bonnor-Vaidya solution as the Born-Infeld parameter b goes to infinity. We also give the explicit form of the energy flux formula due to the acceleration of the charged sources.
We define (non-Einsteinian) universal metrics as the metrics that solve the source-free covariant field equations of generic gravity theories. Here, extending the rather scarce family of universal metrics known in the literature, we show that the Kerr-Schild--Kundt class of metrics are universal. Besides being interesting on their own, these metrics can provide consistent backgrounds for quantum field theory at extremely high energies.
Using a complex representation of the Debney-Kerr-Schild (DKS) solutions and the Kerr theorem we give a method to construct boosted Kerr geometries. In the ultrarelativistic case this method yelds twisting solutions having, contrary to the known pp-wave limiting solutions, a non-zero value of the total angular momentum. The solutions show that twist plays a crucial role in removing singularity and smoothing shock wave in the ultrarelativistic limit. Two different physical situations are discussed.
We extend the standard Kerr-Schild solution generating method to higher order scalar tensor theories that are shift-invariant for the scalar field. Certain degeneracy conditions, crucial for the absence of Ostrogradski ghosts, are found to be required for the validity of the Kerr-Schild ansatz while on the other hand, theories with no parity symmetry are excluded from the solution generating method. The extended Kerr-Schild symmetry turns out to be a very useful tool to easily construct black hole solutions from simple seed configurations. In particular, the generating method developed is adap…
In a very well-known paper, Virbhadra's research group proved that the Weinberg, Papapetrou, Landau and Lifshitz, and Einstein energy-momentum complexes ``coincide'' for all metrics of Kerr-Schild class. A few years later, Virbhadra clarified that this ``coincidence'' in fact holds for metrics more general than the Kerr-Schild class. In the present paper, this study is extended for the Bergmann-Thomson complex and it is proved that this complex also ``coincides'' with those complexes for a more general than the Kerr-Schild class metric.
In this work we explore the consequences of considering from the very beginning the stationary and axisymmetric properties of the Kerr black hole as one attempts to derive this solution through the Kerr-Schild ansatz. The first consequence is kinematical and is based on a new stationary and axisymmetric version of the Kerr theorem that yields to the precise shear-free and geodesic null congruence of flat spacetime characterizing the Kerr solution. A straightforward advantage of this strategy is that now the parameter $a$ appears naturally as associated to the conserved angular momentum of the …
We consider the black hole solutions of five-dimensional gravity with a Gauss-Bonnet term in the bulk and an induced gravity term on a 2-brane of codimension-2. Applying the Kerr-Schild method we derive additional solutions which include charge and angular momentum. To improve our understanding of this geometry we study the geodesic structure of such spacetimes.
We demonstrate that the general (A)dS-Kerr-NUT solutions in D dimensions with ([D/2], [(D+1)/2]) signature admit [D/2] linearly-independent, mutually-orthogonal and affinely-parameterised null geodesic congruences. This enables us to write the metrics in a multi-Kerr-Schild form, where the mass and all of the NUT parameters enter the metrics linearly. In the case of D=2n, we also obtain n harmonic 2-forms, which can be viewed as charged (A)dS-Kerr-NUT solution at the linear level of small-charge expansion, for the higher-dimensional Einstein-Maxwell theories. In the BPS limit, these 2-forms re…
We propose an adaptation of the Kerr-Schild method by implementing the correspondence relations (mapping) between Ricci-based Gravity (RBG) and General Relativity (GR). Basically, we generate GR known solutions from a canonical metric with a well-defined form and then obtain the configuration of this solution for the Gravity f(R). The new method allows us to perturb the metric associated with GR with a null geodetic vector, but instead of taking us to a new solution described by Einstein's gravitational sector, it allows us to configure this solution in an RBG.
Relativistic dynamical friction in Kerr-Schild coordinates
Institut de Ciències del Cosmos (ICC), Universitat de Barcelona（巴塞罗那大学宇宙科学研究所）；Institute for Particle Physics Phenomenology Department of Physics, Durham University（杜伦大学粒子物理现象学系）；School of Mathematical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London（伦敦大学玛丽女王学院数学科学学院）
We generalize previous work on the energy-momentum tensor-distribution of the Kerr geometry by extending the manifold structure into the negative mass region. Since the extension of the flat part of the Kerr-Schild decomposition from one sheet to the double cover develops a singularity at the branch surface we have to take its non-smoothness into account. It is however possible to find a geometry within the generalized Kerr-Schild class that is in the Colombeau-sense associated to the maximally analytic Kerr-metric.
Kerr-Schild (KS) geometry is based on a congruence of twistor null lines which forms a holographic space-time determined by the Kerr theorem. We describe in details integration of the non-stationary Debney-Kerr-Schild equations for electromagnetic excitations of black-holes taking into account the consistent back-reaction to metric. The exact KS solutions have the form of singular beam-like pulses supported on twistor null lines of the Kerr congruence. These twistor-beam pulses have very strong back reaction to metric and BH horizon and produce a fluctuating holographic KS geometry which takes…
The Kerr-Schild version of the Schwarzschild metric contains a Minkowski background which provides a definition of a boosted black hole. There are two Kerr-Schild versions corresponding to ingoing or outgoing principle null directions. We show that the two corresponding Minkowski backgrounds and their associated boosts have an unexpected difference. We analyze this difference and discuss the implications in the nonlinear regime for the gravitational memory effect resulting from the ejection of massive particles from an isolated system. We show that the nonlinear effect agrees with the lineariz…
