Relativistic dynamical friction in a collisional fluid
Astrophysics
2008-11-26 v2 General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
Fluid Dynamics
Abstract
The dynamical friction force experienced by a body moving at relativistic speed in a gaseous medium is examined. This force, which arises due to the gravitational interaction of the body with its own gravitationally-induced wake, is calculated for straight-line and circular motion, generalizing previous results by several authors. Possible applications to the study of extreme mass-ratio inspirals around strongly-accreting supermassive black holes are suggested.
Cite
@article{arxiv.0709.0211,
title = {Relativistic dynamical friction in a collisional fluid},
author = {Enrico Barausse},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:0709.0211},
year = {2008}
}
Comments
9 pages and 1 figure. Accepted for publication in MNRAS. Replaced to include minor changes made in proof