Epicyclic orbital oscillations in Newton's and Einstein's dynamics

We apply Feynman's principle, ``The same equations have the same solutions'', to Kepler's problem and show that Newton's dynamics in a properly curved 3-D space is identical with that described by Einstein's theory in the 3-D optical geometry of Schwarzschild's spacetime. For this reason, rather unexpectedly, Newton's formulae for Kepler's problem, in the case of nearly circular motion in a static, spherically spherical gravitational potential accurately describe strong field general relativistic effects, in particular vanishing of the radial epicyclic frequency at the marginally stable orbit.Comment: 8 page

Optical geometry for gravitational collapse and Hawking radiation

The notion of optical geometry, introduced more than twenty years ago as a formal tool in quantum field theory on a static background, has recently found several applications to the study of physical processes around compact objects. In this paper we define optical geometry for spherically symmetric gravitational collapse, with the purpose of extending the current formalism to physically interesting spacetimes which are not conformally static. The treatment is fully general but, as an example, we also discuss the special case of the Oppenheimer-Snyder model. The analysis of the late time behaviour shows a close correspondence between the structure of optical spacetime for gravitational collapse and that of flat spacetime with an accelerating boundary. Thus, optical geometry provides a natural physical interpretation for derivations of the Hawking effect based on the ``moving mirror analogy.'' Finally, we briefly discuss the issue of back-reaction in black hole evaporation and the information paradox from the perspective of optical geometry.Comment: 13 pages, 10 figures, aps, revtex, To be published in PR

Optical reference geometry of the Kerr-Newman spacetimes

Properties of the optical reference geometry related to Kerr-Newman black-hole and naked-singularity spacetimes are illustrated using embedding diagrams of their equatorial plane. Among all inertial forces defined in the framework of the optical geometry, just the centrifugal force plays a fundamental role in connection to the embedding diagrams because it changes sign at the turning points of the diagrams. The limits of embeddability are given, and it is established which of the photon circular orbits hosted the by Kerr-Newman spacetimes appear in the embeddable regions. Some typical embedding diagrams are constructed, and the Kerr-Newman backgrounds are classified according to the number of embeddable regions of the optical geometry as well as the number of their turning points. Embedding diagrams are closely related to the notion of the radius of gyration which is useful for analyzing fluid rotating in strong gravitational fields.Comment: 28 pages, 17 figure

Leaving the ISCO: the inner edge of a black-hole accretion disk at various luminosities

The "radiation inner edge" of an accretion disk is defined as the inner boundary of the region from which most of the luminosity emerges. Similarly, the "reflection edge" is the smallest radius capable of producing a significant X-ray reflection of the fluorescent iron line. For black hole accretion disks with very sub-Eddington luminosities these and all other "inner edges" locate at ISCO. Thus, in this case, one may rightly consider ISCO as the unique inner edge of the black hole accretion disk. However, even for moderate luminosities, there is no such unique inner edge as differently defined edges locate at different places. Several of them are significantly closer to the black hole than ISCO. The differences grow with the increasing luminosity. For nearly Eddington luminosities, they are so huge that the notion of the inner edge losses all practical significance.Comment: 12 pages, 15 figures, submitted to A&

Circular geodesics of naked singularities in the Kehagias-Sfetsos metric of Ho\v{r}ava's gravity

We discuss photon and test-particle orbits in the Kehagias-Sfetsos (KS) metric. For any value of the Ho\v{r}ava parameter $\omega$, there are values of the gravitational mass $M$ for which the metric describes a naked singularity, and this is always accompanied by a vacuum "antigravity sphere" on whose surface a test particle can remain at rest (in a zero angular momentum geodesic), and inside which no circular geodesics exist. The observational appearance of an accreting KS naked singularity in a binary system would be that of a quasi-static spherical fluid shell surrounded by an accretion disk, whose properties depend on the value of $M$, but are always very different from accretion disks familiar from the Kerr-metric solutions. The properties of the corresponding circular orbits are qualitatively similar to those of the Reissner-Nordstr\"om naked singularities. When event horizons are present, the orbits outside the Kehagias-Sfetsos black hole are qualitatively similar to those of the Schwarzschild metric.Comment: 8 pages, 9 figure

The upper kHz QPO: a gravitationally lensed vertical oscillation

We show that a luminous torus in the Schwarzschild metric oscillating along its own axis gives rise to a periodically varying flux of radiation, even though the source of radiation is steady and perfectly axisymmetric. This implies that the simplest oscillation mode in an accretion flow, axisymmetric up-and-down motion at the meridional epicyclic frequency, may be directly observable when it occurs in the inner parts of accretion flow around neutron stars and black holes. The high-frequency modulations of the X-ray flux observed in low-mass X-ray binaries at two frequencies (twin kHz QPOs) could then be a signature of strong gravity both because radial and meridional oscillations have different frequencies in non-Newtonian gravity, and because strong gravitational deflection of light rays causes the flux of radiation to be modulated at the higher frequency.Comment: 8 p., 4 fig

Centrifugal force in Kerr geometry

We have obtained the correct expression for the centrifugal force acting on a particle at the equatorial circumference of a rotating body in the locally non-rotating frame of the Kerr geometry. Using this expression for the equilibrium of an element on the surface of a slowly rotating Maclaurin spheroid, we obtain the expression for the ellipticity (as discussed earlier by Abramowicz and Miller) and determine the radius at which the ellipticity is maximum.Comment: 6 pages, LateX macro

The slimming effect of advection on black-hole accretion flows

At super-Eddington rates accretion flows onto black holes have been described as slim (aspect ratio $H/R \lesssim 1$) or thick (H/R >1) discs, also known as tori or (Polish) doughnuts. The relation between the two descriptions has never been established, but it was commonly believed that at sufficiently high accretion rates slim discs inflate, becoming thick. We wish to establish under what conditions slim accretion flows become thick. We use analytical equations, numerical 1+1 schemes, and numerical radiative MHD codes to describe and compare various accretion flow models at very high accretion rates.We find that the dominant effect of advection at high accretion rates precludes slim discs becoming thick. At super-Eddington rates accretion flows around black holes can always be considered slim rather than thick.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures. Astronomy & Astrophysics, in pres

Holonomy invariance, orbital resonances, and kilohertz QPOs

Quantized orbital structures are typical for many aspects of classical gravity (Newton's as well as Einstein's). The astronomical phenomenon of orbital resonances is a well-known example. Recently, Rothman, Ellis and Murugan (2001) discussed quantized orbital structures in the novel context of a holonomy invariance of parallel transport in Schwarzschild geometry. We present here yet another example of quantization of orbits, reflecting both orbital resonances and holonomy invariance. This strong-gravity effect may already have been directly observed as the puzzling kilohertz quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) in the X-ray emission from a few accreting galactic black holes and several neutron stars