Motion of charged test particles in Reissner--Nordstr\"om spacetime

TL;DR

This paper analyzes the motion of charged particles in Reissner-Nordström spacetime, revealing how circular orbits and stability patterns can distinguish black holes from naked singularities.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of circular particle orbits in RN spacetime, highlighting differences in stability and structure around black holes and naked singularities.

Findings

Identifies regions where circular motion is possible

Shows how stable orbits differ between black holes and naked singularities

Discusses effects of repulsive gravity on particle motion

Abstract

We investigate the circular motion of charged test particles in the gravitational field of a charged mass described by the Reissner-Nordstr\"om (RN) spacetime. We study in detail all the spatial regions where circular motion is allowed around either black holes or naked singularities. The effects of repulsive gravity are discussed by finding all the circles at which a particle can have vanishing angular momentum. We show that the geometric structure of stable accretion disks, made of only test particles moving along circular orbits around the central body, allows us to clearly distinguish between black holes and naked singularities.