Related papers: Free fall and self-force: an historical perspectiv…
Considering extreme-mass-ratio inspirals along with the conservative dynamics of gravitational self-force, we compare viable theories of gravity. In particular, by examining a Schwarzschild background we analyse the self-force-induced…
We compute the electromagnetic self-force acting on a charged particle held in place at a fixed position r outside a five-dimensional black hole described by the Schwarzschild-Tangherlini metric. Using a spherical-harmonic decomposition of…
Renewed interest in deriving gravity (more precisely, the Einstein equations) from thermodynamics considerations [1, 2] is stirred up by a recent proposal that 'gravity is an entropic force' [3] (see also [4]). Even though I find the…
Astrophysical black holes do not exist in vacuum, and their motion is affected by the galactic environment. As a black hole moves it attracts stars and matter, creating a wake that, in turn, exerts an effective friction slowing down the…
In the last four decades different programs have been carried out aiming at understanding the final fate of gravitational collapse of massive bodies once some prescriptions for the behaviour of gravity in the strong field regime are…
Recently, two independent calculations have been presented of finite-mass ("self-force") effects on the orbit of a point mass around a Schwarzschild black hole. While both computations are based on the standard mode-sum method, they differ…
A non-linear equation obtained by adding gravitational self-interaction terms to the Poisson equation for Newtonian gravity is here employed in order to analyse a static spherically sym- metric homogeneous compact source of given proper…
The occurrence of a spacetime singularity indicates the breakdown of Einstein gravitation theory in these extreme regimes. We consider here the singularity issue and various black hole paradoxes at classical and quantum levels. It is…
I present an elementary primer of black hole physics, including its general relativity basis, all peppered with astrophysical illustrations. Following a brief review of the process stellar collapse to a black hole, I discuss the…
Modified gravity theories capable of genuine self-acceleration typically invoke a galileon scalar which mediates a long range force, but is screened by the Vainshtein mechanism on small scales. In such theories, non-relativistic stars carry…
We calculate the gravitational self force acting on a pointlike particle of mass $\mu$, set in a circular geodesic orbit around a Schwarzschild black hole. Our calculation is done in the Lorenz gauge: For given orbital radius, we first…
We study the self force acting on a particle endowed with scalar charge, which is held static (with respect to an undragged, static observer at infinity) outside a stationary, axially-symmetric black hole. We find that the acceleration due…
A central idea in general relativity is that physics should not depend on the space-time coordinates in use \cite{einstein}. But the qualitative description of various phenomena can appear superficially quite different. Here we consider…
We review here some of the major open issues and challenges in black hole physics today, and the current progress on the same. It is pointed out that to secure a concrete foundation for the basic theory as well as astrophysical applications…
An original way of presentation of the Schwarzschild black hole in the form of a point-like mass with making the use of the Dirac $\delta$-function, including a description of a continuous collapse to such a point mass, is given. A…
A point particle of mass $\mu$ moving on a geodesic creates a perturbation $h_{ab}$, of the spacetime metric $g_{ab}$, that diverges at the particle. Simple expressions are given for the singular $\mu/r$ part of $h_{ab}$ and its distortion…
For a Schwarzchild black hole of mass $M$, we consider a test particle falling from rest at infinity and becoming trapped, at late time, on the unstable circular orbit of radius $r=4GM/c^2$. When the particle is endowed with a small mass,…
Studying particle motion in the gravitational field of a black hole from the perspective of different observers is important for separating the coordinate artifacts from the physical phenomena. In this paper, we show that a freely falling…
In this series we construct an effective field theory (EFT) in curved spacetime to study gravitational radiation and backreaction effects. We begin in this paper with a derivation of the self-force on a compact object moving in the…
Crystals, as quantum objects typically much larger than their lattice spacing, are a counterexample to a frequent prejudice that quantum effects should not be pronounced at macroscopic distances. We propose that the Einstein theory of…