Overspinning a black hole with a test body

Coalescence of Kerr Black Holes—Binary Systems from GW150914 to GW170814

We investigate the energy of the gravitational wave from a binary black hole merger by the coalescence of two Kerr black holes with an orbital angular momentum. The coalescence is constructed to be consistent with particle absorption in the limit in which the primary black hole is sufficiently large compared with the secondary black hole. In this limit, we analytically obtain an effective gravitational spin–orbit interaction dependent on the alignments of the angular momenta. Then, binary systems with various parameters including equal masses are numerically analyzed. According to the numerical analysis, the energy of the gravitational wave still depends on the effective interactions, as expected from the analytical form. In particular, we ensure that the final black hole obtains a large portion of its spin angular momentum from the orbital angular momentum of the initial binary black hole. To estimate the angular momentum released by the gravitational wave in the actual binary black hole, we apply our results to observations at the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory: GW150914, GW151226, GW170104, GW170608 and GW170814.

Thermodynamics and Cosmic Censorship Conjecture in Kerr-Newman-de Sitter Black Hole

We investigate the laws of thermodynamics and the validity of the cosmic censorship conjecture in the Kerr-Newman-de Sitter black hole under charged particle absorption. Here, the black hole undergoes infinitesimal changes because of the momenta carried by the particle entering it. The cosmic censorship conjecture is tested by whether the black hole can be overcharged beyond the extremal condition under absorption. The changes in the black hole violate the second law of thermodynamics. Furthermore, this is related to the cosmic censorship conjecture. To resolve this violation, we impose a reference energy of the particle at the asymptotic region based on the first law of thermodynamics. Under imposition of the reference energy, the absorption satisfies the laws of thermodynamics, and the extremal black hole cannot be overcharged. Thus, the cosmic censorship conjecture is valid under the absorption.

Test bodies and naked singularities: is the self-force the cosmic censor?

Jacobson and Sotiriou showed that rotating black holes could be spun up past the extremal limit by the capture of nonspinning test bodies, if one neglects radiative and self-force effects. This would represent a violation of the cosmic censorship conjecture in four-dimensional, asymptotically flat spacetimes. We show that for some of the trajectories giving rise to naked singularities, radiative effects can be neglected. However, for these orbits the conservative self-force is important, and seems to have the right sign to prevent the formation of naked singularities.