Rotating black holes in Einstein-aether theory

TL;DR

This paper develops new numerical methods to construct and analyze rotating black hole solutions in Einstein-aether theory, revealing that these solutions can closely resemble Kerr black holes despite large coupling parameters.

Contribution

It introduces a novel numerical approach to find stationary axisymmetric black holes in Einstein-aether theory and demonstrates their properties, including horizons that are not Killing horizons.

Findings

Black hole solutions can closely mimic Kerr black holes.

Existence of solutions with large aether couplings that resemble general relativity.

Horizons are not Killing horizons and have complex null generators.

Abstract

We introduce new methods to numerically construct for the first time stationary axisymmetric black hole solutions in Einstein-aether theory and study their properties. The key technical challenge is to impose regularity at the spin-2, 1, and 0 wave mode horizons. Interestingly we find the metric horizon, and various wave mode horizons, are not Killing horizons, having null generators to which no linear combination of Killing vectors is tangent, and which spiral from pole to equator or vice versa. Existing phenomenological constraints result in two regions of coupling parameters where the theory is viable and some couplings are large; region I with a large twist coupling and region II with also a (somewhat) large expansion coupling. Currently these constraints do not include tests from strong field dynamics, such as observations of black holes and their mergers. Given the large aether coupling(s) one might expect such dynamics to deviate significantly from general relativity, and hence to further constrain the theory. Here we argue this is not the case, since for these parameter regions solutions exist where the aether is "painted" onto a metric background that is very close to that of general relativity. This painting for region I is approximately independent of the large twist coupling, and for region II is also approximately independent of the large expansion coupling and normal to a maximal foliation of the spacetime. We support this picture analytically for weak fields, and numerically for rotating black hole solutions, which closely approximate the Kerr metric.