Gravitational equal-area law and critical phenomena of cuspy black hole shadow

Fuente: arXiv
Salvato in:
Dettagli Bibliografici
Autori principali: Wei, Shao-Wen, Wang, Chao-Hui, Zhang, Yu-Peng, Liu, Yu-Xiao, Mann, Robert B.
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2026
Soggetti:
Accesso online:
Tags: Aggiungi Tag
Nessun Tag, puoi essere il primo ad aggiungerne!!
_version_ 1866918299559788544
author Wei, Shao-Wen
Wang, Chao-Hui
Zhang, Yu-Peng
Liu, Yu-Xiao
Mann, Robert B.
author_facet Wei, Shao-Wen
Wang, Chao-Hui
Zhang, Yu-Peng
Liu, Yu-Xiao
Mann, Robert B.
contents The formation of a cusp on a black hole shadow is a striking signature of physics beyond the Kerr paradigm. We demonstrate that this morphological change fundamentally alters the shadow's topology with the topological charge flipping from 1 to -1. To analyze this topological transition, we introduce a gravitational equal-area law, analogous to Maxwell's construction in thermodynamics, and identify a critical point for cusp formation. Near this point, we uncover universal behavior characterized by a critical exponent 1/2, which places this gravitational lensing system within the mean-field universality class. These results establish a new framework for testing fundamental physics of black hole shadows, reframing the search for deviations from general relativity as a targeted hunt for a distinct topological and critical phenomenon.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2601_15612
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Gravitational equal-area law and critical phenomena of cuspy black hole shadow
Wei, Shao-Wen
Wang, Chao-Hui
Zhang, Yu-Peng
Liu, Yu-Xiao
Mann, Robert B.
General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
High Energy Physics - Theory
The formation of a cusp on a black hole shadow is a striking signature of physics beyond the Kerr paradigm. We demonstrate that this morphological change fundamentally alters the shadow's topology with the topological charge flipping from 1 to -1. To analyze this topological transition, we introduce a gravitational equal-area law, analogous to Maxwell's construction in thermodynamics, and identify a critical point for cusp formation. Near this point, we uncover universal behavior characterized by a critical exponent 1/2, which places this gravitational lensing system within the mean-field universality class. These results establish a new framework for testing fundamental physics of black hole shadows, reframing the search for deviations from general relativity as a targeted hunt for a distinct topological and critical phenomenon.
title Gravitational equal-area law and critical phenomena of cuspy black hole shadow
topic General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
High Energy Physics - Theory
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.15612