Properties of general stationary axisymmetric spacetimes: circularity and beyond

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Babichev, Eugeny, Mazza, Jacopo
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Babichev, Eugeny
Mazza, Jacopo
author_facet Babichev, Eugeny
Mazza, Jacopo
contents We analyse properties of general stationary and axisymmetric spacetimes, with a particular focus on circularity -- an accidental symmetry enjoyed by the Kerr metric, and therefore widely assumed when searching for rotating black hole solutions in alternative theories of gravity as well as when constructing models of Kerr mimickers. Within a gauge specified by seven (or six) free functions, the local existence of which we prove, we solve the differential circularity conditions and translate them into algebraic relations among the metric components. This result opens the way to investigating the consequences of circularity breaking in a controlled manner. In particular, we construct two simple analytical examples of non-circular deformations of the Kerr spacetime. The first one is "minimal", since the horizon and the ergosphere are identical to their Kerr counterparts, except for the fact that the horizon is not Killing and its surface gravity is therefore not constant. The second is "not so minimal", as the horizon's profile can be chosen arbitrarily and the difference between the horizon and the so-called rotosurface can be appreciated. Our findings thus pave the way for further research into the phenomenology of non-circular stationary and axisymmetric spacetimes.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2505_08880
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Properties of general stationary axisymmetric spacetimes: circularity and beyond
Babichev, Eugeny
Mazza, Jacopo
General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
We analyse properties of general stationary and axisymmetric spacetimes, with a particular focus on circularity -- an accidental symmetry enjoyed by the Kerr metric, and therefore widely assumed when searching for rotating black hole solutions in alternative theories of gravity as well as when constructing models of Kerr mimickers. Within a gauge specified by seven (or six) free functions, the local existence of which we prove, we solve the differential circularity conditions and translate them into algebraic relations among the metric components. This result opens the way to investigating the consequences of circularity breaking in a controlled manner. In particular, we construct two simple analytical examples of non-circular deformations of the Kerr spacetime. The first one is "minimal", since the horizon and the ergosphere are identical to their Kerr counterparts, except for the fact that the horizon is not Killing and its surface gravity is therefore not constant. The second is "not so minimal", as the horizon's profile can be chosen arbitrarily and the difference between the horizon and the so-called rotosurface can be appreciated. Our findings thus pave the way for further research into the phenomenology of non-circular stationary and axisymmetric spacetimes.
title Properties of general stationary axisymmetric spacetimes: circularity and beyond
topic General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.08880