Rigorous bounds on Transmission, Reflection, and Bogoliubov coefficients

This thesis describes the development of some basic mathematical tools of wide relevance to mathematical physics. Transmission and reflection coefficients are associated with quantum tunneling phenomena, while Bogoliubov coefficients are associated with the mathematically related problem of excitations of a parametric oscillator. While many approximation techniques for these quantities are known, very little is known about rigorous upper and lower bounds. In this thesis four separate problems relating to rigorous bounds on transmission, reflection and Bogoliubov coefficients are considered, divided into four separate themes: 1) Bounding the Bogoliubov coefficients; 2) Bounding the greybody factors for Schwarzschild black holes; 3) Transformation probabilities and the Miller--Good transformation; 4) Analytic bounds on transmission probabilities.Comment: 263 pages; 5 figures; PhD Thesis (Victoria University of Wellington, June 2009

Bounding the greybody factors for scalar excitations of the Kerr-Newman spacetime

Finding exact solutions for black-hole greybody factors is generically impractical; typically one resorts either to making semi-analytic or numerical estimates, or alternatively to deriving rigorous analytic bounds. Indeed, rigorous bounds have already been established for the greybody factors of Schwarzschild and Riessner-Nordstrom black holes, and more generally for those of arbitrary static spherically symmetric asymptotically flat black holes. Adding rotation to the problem greatly increases the level of difficulty, both for purely technical reasons (the Kerr or Kerr-Newman black holes are generally much more difficult to work with than the Schwarzschild or Reissner-Nordstrom black holes), but also at a conceptual level (due to the generic presence of super-radiant modes). In the current article we analyze bounds on the greybody factors for scalar excitations of the Kerr-Newman geometry in some detail, first for zero-angular-momentum modes, then for the non-super-radiant modes, and finally for the super-radiant modes.Comment: 22 page

Near-horizon geodesics for astrophysical and idealised black holes: Coordinate velocity and coordinate acceleration

Geodesics (by definition) have an intrinsic 4-acceleration zero. However, when expressed in terms of coordinates, the coordinate acceleration $d^2 x^i/d t^2$ can very easily be non-zero, and the coordinate velocity $d x^i/d t$ can behave unexpectedly. The situation becomes extremely delicate in the near-horizon limit---for both astrophysical and idealised black holes---where an inappropriate choice of coordinates can quite easily lead to significant confusion. We shall carefully explore the relative merits of horizon-penetrating versus horizon-non-penetrating coordinates, arguing that in the near-horizon limit the coordinate acceleration $d^2 x^i/d t^2$ is best interpreted in terms of horizon-penetrating coordinates.Comment: V1: 25 pages, 10 figures. V2: Now 28 pages; slight change in title and abstract; some discussion and extra references added. Closely resembles published versio

Buchdahl-like transformations for perfect fluid spheres

In two previous articles [Phys. Rev. D71 (2005) 124307 (gr-qc/0503007), and gr-qc/0607001] we have discussed several "algorithmic" techniques that permit one (in a purely mechanical way) to generate large classes of general relativistic static perfect fluid spheres. Working in Schwarzschild curvature coordinates, we used these algorithmic ideas to prove several "solution-generating theorems" of varying levels of complexity. In the present article we consider the situation in other coordinate systems: In particular, in general diagonal coordinates we shall generalize our previous theorems, in isotropic coordinates we shall encounter a variant of the so-called "Buchdahl transformation", while in other coordinate systems (such as Gaussian polar coordinates, Synge isothermal coordinates, and Buchdahl coordinates) we shall find a number of more complex "Buchdahl-like transformations" and "solution-generating theorems" that may be used to investigate and classify the general relativistic static perfect fluid sphere. Finally by returning to general diagonal coordinates and making a suitable ansatz for the functional form of the metric components we place the Buchdahl transformation in its most general possible setting.Comment: 23 page